5774 


K  M  O  I  R  S    OF 
E  R  IT  E     D  E    V  A  L  O  I  S 

.•.-•«  of  France,    Wife  of  Henri  IV 
O  F 

A  M  E     D  E     POMPADOUR 

Of  the   Court   of  Louis   'XV 
D     O  F 

A  T  H  E^FW  EJII8  fiH1M  E  D  I  C  I 
aa  ^MAQAM  va 


HV/A   a    Special    Intr 

Illustrat  ion 


YORK 

1C  R     &     S  O  N 

R  S 


THE    CHILD    MOZART, 

INVITED    BY    MADAME    DE    POMPADOUR 

TO    PLAY    AT    HER  COURT 

From  tht  painting  by  V.  de  Paredet 


MEMOIRS     OF 
MARGUERITE     DE     VALO1S 

Queen  of  France,    Wife  of  Henri  IV 
O  F 

MADAME     DE     POMPADOUR 

Of  the  Court   of  Louis    XV 
AND     OF 

CATHERINE     DE     MEDICI 

Queen  of  France,    Wife  of  Henri   II 


With   a    Special    Introduction 
and   Illustrations 


NEW     YORK 

P     F     COLLIER     &     SON 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright  1910 
BY  P.  F.  COLLIER  &  SON 


CONTENTS 


LETTER  I 

PAGE 

Introduction. — Anecdotes  of  Marguerite's  Infancy. — En- 
deavours Used  to  Convert  Her  to  the  New  Religion. — 
She  Is  Confirmed  in  Catholicism. — The  Court  on  a 
Progress. — A  Grand  Festivity  Suddenly  Interrupted. — 
The  Confusion  in  Consequence 13 

LETTER  II 

Message  from  the  Due  d'Anjou,  Afterwards  Henri  III.,  to 
King  Charles  His  Brother  and  the  Queen-mother. — Her 
Fondness  for  Her  Children. — Their  Interview. — Anjou's 
Eloquent  Harangue. — The  Queen-mother's  Character. — 
Discourse  of  the  Due  d'Anjou  with  Marguerite. — She  Dis- 
covers Her  Own  Importance. — Engages  to  Serve  Her 
Brother  Anjou. — Is  in  High  Favour  with  the  Queen- 
mother  21 


LETTER  III 

Le  Guast. — His  Character. — Anjou  Affects  to  Be  Jealous  of 
the  Guises. — Dissuades  the  Queen-mother  from  Reposing 
Confidence  in  Marguerite. — She  Loses  the  Favour  of  the 
Queen-mother  and  Falls  Sick. — Anjou's  Hypocrisy. — He 
Introduces  De  Guise  into  Marguerite's  Sick  Chamber. — 
Marguerite  Demanded  in  Marriage  by  the  King  of 
Portugal. — Made  Uneasy  on  That  Account. — Contrives  to 
Relieve  Herself. — The  Match  with  Portugal  Broken  off.  27 

LETTER  IV 

Death  of  the  Queen  of  Navarre. — Marguerite's  Marriage 
with  Her  Son,  the  King  of  Navarre,  Afterwards  Henri 
IV.  of  France. — The  Preparations  for  That  Solemnisation 
Described. — The  Circumstances  Which  Led  to  the  Mas- 
sacre of  the  Huguenots  on  St.  Bartholomew's  Day  .  .  33 

3 
Memoirs — 1  ^ol>  * 


4  CONTENTS 

LETTER  V 

PAGE 

The  Massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew's  Day 39 

LETTER  VI 

Henri,  Due  d'Anjou,  Elected  King  of  Poland,  Leaves 
France. — Huguenot  Plots  to  Withdraw  the  Due  d'Alengon 
and  the  King  of  Navarre  from  Court. — Discovered  and  \ 
Defeated  by  Marguerite's  Vigilance. — She  Draws  Up  an 
Eloquent  Defence,  Which  Her  Husband  Delivers  before 
a  Committee  from  the  Court  of  Parliament — Alenc.on 
and  Her  Husband,  under  a  Close  Arrest,  Regain  Their 
Liberty  by  the  Death  of  Charles  IX 44 

LETTER  VII 

Accession  of  Henri  III. — A  Journey  to  Lyons. — Marguerite's 
Faith  in  Supernatural  Intelligence 48 

LETTER  VIII 
What  Happened  at  Lyons 52 

LETTER  IX 

Fresh  Intrigues. — Marriage  of  Henri  III. — Bussi  Arrives  at 
Court  and  Narrowly  Escapes  Assassination  ....  58 

LETTER  X 

Bussi  Is  Sent  from  Court. — Marguerite's  Husband  Attacked 
with  a  Fit  of  Epilepsy. — Her  Great  Care  of  Him. — 
Torigni  Dismissed  from  Marguerite's  Service. — The  King 
of  Navarre  and  the  Due  d'Alengon  Secretly  Leave  the 
Court .64 

LETTER  XI 

Queen  Marguerite  under  Arrest. — Attempt  on  Torigni's  Life. 
— Her  Fortunate  Deliverance 71 

LETTER  XII 
The  Peace  of  Sens  betwixt  Henri  III.  and  the  Huguenots  .     76 


CONTENTS  5 

LETTER  XIII 

PAGE 

The  League. — War  Declared  against  the  Huguenots. — Queen 
Marguerite  Sets  out  for  Spa 83 

LETTER  XIV 

Description  of  Queen  Marguerite's  Equipage. — Her  Journey 
to  Liege  Described. — She  Enters  with  Success  upon  Her 
Mission. — Striking  Instance  of  Maternal  Duty  and  Affec- 
tion in  a  Great  Lady. — Disasters  near  the  Close  of  the 
Journey 92 

LETTER  XV 

The  City  of  Liege  Described. — Affecting  Story  of  Made- 
moiselle de  Tournon. — Fatal  Effects  of  Suppressed 
Anguish  of  Mind 107 

LETTER  XVI 

Queen  Marguerite,  on  Her  Return  from  Liege,  Is  in  Danger 
of  Being  Made  a  Prisoner. — She  Arrives,  after  Some 
Narrow  Escapes,  at  La  Fere 113 

LETTER  XVII 

Good  Effects  of  Queen  Marguerite's  Negotiations  in  Flan- 
ders.— She  Obtains  Leave  to  Go  to  the  King  of  Navarre 
Her  Husband,  but  Her  Journey  Is  Delayed. — Court  In- 
trigues and  Plots. — The  Due  d'Alengon  Again  Put  under 
Arrest 125 

LETTER  XVIII 
The  Brothers  Reconciled. — Alenc.on  Restored  to  His  Liberty.  ^134 

LETTER  XIX 

The  Due  d'Alengon  Makes  His  Escape  from  Court. — Queen 
Marguerite's  Fidelity  Put  to  a  Severe  Trial  ....  143 

LETTER  XX 

Queen  Marguerite  Permitted  to  Go  to  the  King  Her  Hus- 
band.— Is  Accompanied  by  the  Queen-mother. — Mar- 


6  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

guerite  Insulted  by  Her  Husband's  Secretary. — She 
Harbours  Jealousy. — Her  Attention  to  the  King  Her  Hus- 
band during  an  Indisposition. — Their  Reconciliation. — 
The  War  Breaks  Out  Afresh. — Affront  Received  from 
Marechal  de  Biron 151 

LETTER  XXI 

Situation  of  Affairs  in  Flanders. — Peace  Brought  About  by 
Due  d'Alenc.on's  Negotiation. — Marechal  de  Biron  Apolo- 
gises for  Firing  on  Nerac. — Henri  Desperately  in  Love 
with  Fosseuse. — Queen  Marguerite  Discovers  Fosseuse  to 
Be  Pregnant,  Which  She  Denies. — Fosseuse  in  Labour. 
— Marguerite's  Generous  Behaviour  to  Her. — Marguerite's 
Return  to  Paris 163 


INTRODUCTION 

THE  Secret  Memoirs  of  Henry  of  Navarre's  fa- 
mous queen  possess  a  value  which  the  passage  of  time 
seems  but  to  heighten.  Emanating  as  they  undoubt- 
edly do  from  one  of  the  chief  actors  in  a  momentous 
crisis  in  French  history,  and  in  the  religious  history 
of  Europe  as  well,  their  importance  as  first-hand  docu- 
ments can  hardly  be  overestimated.  While  the  interest 
which  attaches  to  their  intimate  discussions  of  people 
and  manners  of  the  day  will  appeal  to  the  reader  at  the 
outset. 

Marguerite  de  Valois  was  the  French  contemporary 
of  Queen  Elizabeth  of  England,  and  their  careers  fur- 
nish several  curious  points  of  parallel.  Marguerite 
was  the  daughter  of  the  famous  Catherine  de  Medicis, 
and  was  given  in  marriage  by  her  scheming  mother 
to  Henry  of  Navarre,  whose  ascendant  Bourbon  star 
threatened  to  eclipse  (as  afterwards  it  did)  the  waning 
house  of  Valois.  Catherine  had  four  sons,  three  of 
whom  successively  mounted  the  throne  of  France, 
but  all  were  childless.  Although  the  king  of  the  petty 
state  of  Navarre  was  a  Protestant,  and  Catherine  was 
the  most  fanatical  of  Catholics,  she  made  this  mar- 
riage a  pretext  for  welding  the  two  houses ;  but  actu- 
ally it  seems  to  have  been  a  snare  to  lure  him  to  Paris, 
for  it  was  at  this  precise  time  that  the  bloody  Massacre 
of  St.  Bartholomew's  day  was  ordered.  Henry  him- 
self escaped — it  is  said,  through  the  protection  of 
Marguerite,  his  bride, — but  his  adherents  in  the 
Protestant  party  were  slain  by  the  thousands.  A 
wedded  life  begun  under  such  sanguinary  auspices  was 

7 


8  INTRODUCTION 

not  destined  to  end  happily.  Indeed,  their  marriage 
resembled  nothing  so  much  as  an  armed  truce,  peace- 
able, and  allowing  both  to  pursue  their  several  paths, 
and  finally  dissolved  by  mutual  consent,  in  1598,  when 
Queen  Marguerite  was  forty-five.  The  closing  years 
of  her  life  were  spent  in  strict  seclusion,  at  the  Castle 
of  Usson,  in  Auvergne,  and  it  was  at  this  time  that  she 
probably  wrote  her  Memoirs. 

In  the  original,  the  Memoirs  are  written  in  a  clear 
vigorous  French,  and  in  epistolary  form.  Their  first 
editor  divided  them  into  three  sections,  or  books.  As 
a  whole  they  cover  the  secret  history  of  the  Court  of 
France  from  the  years  1565  to  1582 — seventeen  years 
of  extraordinary  interest,  comprising,  as  they  do,  the 
Massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  already  referred  to,  the 
formation  of  the  famous  League,  the  Peace  of  Sens, 
and  the  bitter  religious  persecutions  which  were  at  last 
ended  by  the  Edict  of  Nantes  issued  after  Henry  of 
Navarre  became  Henry  IV.  of  France.  Besides  the 
political  bearing  of  the  letters,  they  give  a  picturesque 
account  of  Court  life  at  the  end  of  the  i6th  century, 
the  fashions  and  manners  of  the  time,  piquant  descrip- 
tions, and  amusing  gossip,  such  as  only  a  witty  woman 
— as  Marguerite  certainly  was — could  inject  into  such 
subjects.  The  letters,  indeed,  abound  in  sprightly 
anecdote  and  small-talk,  which  yet  have  their  value  in 
lightening  up  the  whole  situation. 

The  period  covered  coincides  very  nearly  with  the 
first  half  of  Marguerite's  own  life.  Incidents  of  her 
girlhood  are  given,  leading  to  more  important  matters, 
personal  and  political,  up  to  the  twenty-ninth  year  of 
her  age.  The  letters  end,  therefore,  some  seven  years 
prior  to  the  death  of  her  brother,  Henry  III.  of  France, 
and  while  she  was  still  merely  Queen  of  Navarre. 
It  will  always  be  a  matter  of  regret  that  the  latter  half 
of  her  life  was  not  likewise  covered. 


INTRODUCTION  g 

These  Memoirs  first  appeared  in  printed  form  in 
1628,  thirteen  years  after  their  author's  death.  They 
enjoyed  great  popularity,  and  in  1656  were  translated 
into  English  and  published  in  London,  with  the  fol- 
lowing erroneous  title :  "  The  grand  Cabinet  Counsels 
unlocked;  or,  the  most  faithful  Transaction  of  Court 
Affairs,  and  Growth  and  Continuance  of  the  Civil 
Wars  in  France,  during  the  Reigns  of  Charles  the  last, 
Henry  III.,  and  Henry  IV.,  commonly  called  the 
Great.  Most  excellently  written,  in  the  French 
Tongue,  by  Margaret  de  Valois,  Sister  to  the  two  first 
Kings,  and  Wife  of  the  last.  Faithfully  translated 
by  Robert  Codrington,  Master  of  Arts."  Two  years 
later  the  work  was  again  translated,  this  time  under 
the  title  of  "  Memorials  of  Court  Affairs."  The  mis- 
leading portion  of  Codrington's  title  is  in  regard  to  the 
reign  of  Henry  IV.  As  already  shown,  the  letters 
cease  before  that  time,  although  chronicling  many 
events  of  his  early  career.  The  present  careful  trans- 
lation has  been  made  direct  from  the  original,  adhering 
as  closely  as  permissible  to  the  rugged  but  clear-cut 
verbal  expressions  of  i6th  century  France. 

Queen  Marguerite  herself  is  described  by  historians 
and  novelists  as  a  singularly  attractive  woman,  both 
physically  and  mentally.  Of  a  little  above  the  aver- 
age height,  her  figure  was  well-rounded  and  graceful, 
her  carriage  dignified  and  commanding.  One  writer 
thus  describes  her :  "  Her  eyes  were  full,  black,  and 
sparkling;  she  had  bright,  chestnut-coloured  hair,  and 
a  complexion  fresh  and  blooming.  Her  skin  was  del- 
icately white,  and  her  neck  admirably  well  formed ;  and 
this  so  generally  admired  beauty,  the  fashion  of  dress, 
in  her  time,  admitted  of  being  fully  displayed."  To 
her  personal  charms  were  added  a  ready  wit  and  pol- 
ished manners.  Her  thoughts,  whether  spoken  or 
written,  were  always  clearly  and  gracefully  expressed. 


tto  INTRODUCTION 

In  her  retirement,  at  the  close  of  her  life,  she  often 
amused  herself  by  writing  verses  which  she  set  to 
music  and  afterwards  sang,  accompanying  herself 
upon  the  lute,  which  she  performed  upon  skilfully. 

Regarding  her  personal  character  there  has  been  di- 
versity of  opinion — as,  indeed,  there  has  been  in  the 
case  of  nearly  every  exalted  personage.  After  her 
separation  from  the  king,  she  was  the  subject  of  a 
scandalous  attack,  entitled  Le  Divorce  'Satyrique,  ou 
les  Amours  de  la  Reyne  Marguerite  de  Valois;  but  this 
anonymous  libel  was  never  seriously  considered.  M. 
Pierre  de  Bourdeville,  Sieur  de  Brantome  (better 
known  by  the  final  name),  who  gives  many  facts  con- 
cerning her  later  life  in  his  Anecdotes  des  Rois  de 
^France,  is  a  staunch  adherent  of  hers.  Ronsard,  the 
Court  poet,  is  also  extravagant  in  his  praises  of  her, 
but  chiefly  of  her  beauty.  Numerous  other  poets  and 
romancers  have  found  her  life  a  favourite  subject. 
Meyerbeer's  opera,  Les  Huguenots,  is  based  upon  her 
wedding,  and  the  ensuing  Massacre.  Dumas's  well- 
known  novel,  Marguerite  de  Valois,  gives  her  a  some- 
what dubious  reputation,  as  half-tool,  half-agent  for 
Catherine,  and  as  the  mistress  of  the  historical  La 
Mole.  This  doubtful  phase,  however,  if  true,  was  but 
in  keeping  with  the  fashion  of  the  times.  It  is  men- 
tioned merely  as  a  possible  line  completing  the  por- 
trait of  this  brilliant  woman,  who  lives  again  for  us  in 
the  pages  of  her  Memoirs. 


ON  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

QUEEN   OF  NAVARRE. 

Dear  native  land!  and  you,  proud  castles!  say 
(Where  grandsire,1  father,2  and  three  brothers*  lay, 
Who  each,  in  turn,  the  crown  imperial  wore), 
Me  will  you  own,  your  daughter  whom  you  bore? 
Me,  once  your  greatest  boast  and  chiefest  pride, 
By  Bourbon  and  Lorraine,4  when  sought  a  bride; 
Now  widowed  wife,5  a  queen  without  a  throne, 
Midst  rocks  and  mountains'  wander  I  alone. 
Nor  yet  hath  Fortune  vented  all  her  spite, 
But  sets  one  up,'  who  now  enjoys  my  right, 
Points  to  the  boy,8  who  henceforth  claims  the  throne 
And  crown,  a  son  of  mine  should  call  his  own. 
But  ah,  alas !  for  me  'tis  now  too  late ' 
To  strive  'gainst  Fortune  and  contend  with  Fate; 
Of  those  I  slighted,  can  I  beg  relief?10 
No;  let  me  die  the  victim  of  my  grief. 
And  can  I  then  be  justly  said  to  live? 
Dead  in  estate,  do  I  then  yet  survive? 
Last  of  the  name,  I  carry  to  the  grave 
All  the  remains  the  House  of  Valois  have. 

1  Francois  I.      *  Henri  II.      »  Frangois  II.,  Charles  IX.,  and  Henri  III. 

4  Henri,  King  of  Navarre,  and  Henri,   Due  de  Guise. 

8  Alluding  to  her  divorce  from  Henri   IV.  '  The  castle  of  Usson. 

1  Marie  de'  Medici,  whom  Henri  married  after  his  divorce  from  Mar- 
guerite. s  Louis  XIII.,  the  son  of  Henri  and  his  queen,  Marie  de'  Medici. 

•  Alluding  to  the  differences  betwixt  Marguerite  and  Henri,  her  hus- 
band. 

10  This  is  said  with  allusion  to  the  supposition  that  she  was  rather 
inclined  to  favour  the  suit  of  the  Due  de  Guise  and  reject  Henri  for  a 
husband. 


II 


THE    MEMOIRS    OF 
MARGUERITE    DE  VALOIS 

LETTER  I 

I  SHOULD  commend  your  work  much  more  were  I 
myself  less  praised  in  it;  but  I  am  unwilling  to  do 
so,  lest  my  praises  should  seem  rather  the  effect  of 
self-love  than  to  be  founded  on  reason  and  justice.  I 
am  fearful  that,  like  Themistocles,  I  should  appear  to 
admire  their  eloquence  the  most  who  are  most  for- 
ward to  praise  me.  It  is  the  usual  frailty  of  our  sex 
to  be  fond  of  flattery.  I  blame  this  in  other  women, 
and  should  wish  not  to  be  chargeable  with  it  myself. 
Yet  I  confess  that  I  take  a  pride  in  being  painted 
by  the  hand  of  so  able  a  master,  however  flattering 
the  likeness  may  be.  If  I  ever  were  possessed  of  the 
graces  you  have  assigned  to  me,  trouble  and  vexation 
render  them  no  longer  visible,  and  have  even  effaced 
them  from  my  own  recollection.  So  that  I  view  my- 
self in  your  Memoirs,  and  say,  with  old  Madame  de 
Rendan,  who,  not  having  consulted  her  glass  since 
her  husband's  death,  on  seeing  her  own  face  in  the 
mirror  of  another  lady,  exclaimed,  "Who  is  this?" 
Whatever  my  friends  tell  me  when  they  see  me  now, 
I  am  inclined  to  think  proceeds  from  the  partiality  of 
their  affection.  I  am  sure  that  you  yourself,  when 
you  consider  more  impartially  what  you  have  said, 

13 


14  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

will  be  induced  to  believe,  according  to  these  lines 
of  Du  Bellay : 

"  C'est  chercher  Rome  en  Rome, 
Et  rien  de  Rome  en  Rome  ne  trouver." 

('Tis  to  seek  Rome,  in  Rome  to  go, 
And  Rome  herself  at  Rome  not  know.) 

But  as  we  read  with  pleasure  the  history  of  the  Siege 
of  Troy,  the  magnificence  of  Athens,  and  other  splen- 
did cities,  which  once  flourished,  but  are  now  so  en- 
tirely destroyed  that  scarcely  the  spot  whereon  they 
stood  can  be  traced,  so  you  please  yourself  with  de- 
scribing these  excellences  of  beauty  which  are  no 
more,  and  which  will  be  discoverable  only  in  your 
writings. 

If  you  had  taken  upon  you  to  contrast  Nature  and 
Fortune,  you  could  not  have  chosen  a  happier  theme 
upon  which  to  descant,  for  both  have  made  a  trial  of 
their  strength  on  the  subject  of  your  Memoirs.  What 
Nature  did,  you  had  the  evidence  of  your  own  eyes  to 
vouch  for,  but  what  was  done  by  Fortune,  you  know 
only  from  hearsay;  and  hearsay,  I  need  not  tell  you, 
is  liable  to  be  influenced  by  ignorance  or  malice,  and, 
therefore,  is  not  to  be  depended  on.  You  will  for 
that  reason,  I  make  no  doubt,  be  pleased  to  receive 
these  Memoirs  from  the  hand  which  is  most  inter- 
ested in  the  truth  of  them. 

I  have  been  induced  to  undertake  writing  my  Mem- 
oirs the  more  from  five  or  six  observations  which  I 
have  had  occasion  to  make  upon  your  work,  as  you 
appear  to  have  been  misinformed  respecting  certain 
particulars.  For  example,  in  that  part  where  men- 
tion is  made  of  Pau,  and  of  my  journey  in  France; 
likewise  where  you  speak  of  the  late  Marechal  de 
Biron,  of  Agen,  and  of  the  sally  of  the  Marquis 
de  Camillac  from  that  place. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  15 

These  Memoirs  might  merit  the  honourable  name 
of  history  from  the  truths  contained  in  them,  as  I 
shall  prefer  truth  to  embellishment.  In  fact,  to  em- 
bellish my  story  I  have  neither  leisure  nor  ability  j  I 
shall,  therefore,  do  no  more  than  give  a  simple  nar- 
ration of  events.  They  are  the  labours  of  my  even- 
ings, and  will  come  to  you  an  unformed  mass,  to 
receive  its  shape  from  your  hands,  or  as  a  chaos  on 
which  you  have  already  thrown  light.  Mine  is  a  his- 
tory most  assuredly  worthy  to  come  from  a  man  of 
honour,  one  who  is  a  true  Frenchman,  born  of  illus- 
trious parents,  brought  up  in  the  Court  of  the  Kings 
my  father  and  brothers,  allied  in  blood  and  friend- 
ship to  the  most  virtuous  and  accomplished  women 
of  our  times,  of  which  society  I  have  had  the  good 
fortune  to  be  the  bond  of  union. 

I  shall  begin  these  Memoirs  in  the  reign  of  Charles 
IX.,  and  set  out  with  the  first  remarkable  event  of 
my  life  which  fell  within  my  remembrance.  Herein 
I  follow  the  example  of  geographical  writers,  who 
having  described  the  places  within  their  knowledge, 
tell  you  that  all  beyond  them  are  sandy  deserts,  coun- 
tries without  inhabitants,  or  seas  never  navigated. 
Thus  I  might  say  that  all  prior  to  the  commencement 
of  these  Memoirs  was  the  barrenness  of  my  infancy, 
when  we  can  only  be  said  to  vegetate  like  plants,  or 
live,  like  brutes,  according  to  instinct,  and  not  as 
human  creatures,  guided  by  reason.  To  those  who 
had  the  direction  of  my  earliest  years  I  leave  the  task 
of  relating  the  transactions  of  my  infancy,  if  they 
find  them  as  worthy  of  being  recorded  as  the  infan- 
tine exploits  of  Themistocles  and  Alexander, — the 
one  exposing  himself  to  be  trampled  on  by  the  horses 
of  a  charioteer,  who  would  not  stop  them  when  re- 
quested to  do  so,  and  the  other  refusing  to  run  a  race 
unless  kings  were  to  enter  the  contest  against  him. 


16  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

Amongst  such  memorable  things  might  be  related 
the  answer  I  made  the  King  my  father,  a  short  time 
before  the  fatal  accident  which  deprived  France  of 
peace,  and  our  family  of  its  chief  glory.  I  was  then 
about  four  or  five  years  of  age,  when  the  King, 
placing  me  on  his  knee,  entered  familiarly  into  chat 
with  me.  There  were,  in  the  same  room,  playing  and 
diverting  themselves,  the  Prince  de  Joinville,  since 
the  great  and  unfortunate  Due  de  Guise,  and  the 
Marquis  de  Beaupreau,  son  of  the  Prince  de  la  Roche- 
sur-Yon,  who  died  in  his  fourteenth  year,  and  by 
whose  death  his  country  lost  a  youth  of  most  prom- 
ising talents.  Amongst  other  discourse,  the  King 
asked  which  of  the  two  Princes  that  were  before  me 
I  liked  best.  I  replied,  "  The  Marquis."  The  King 
said,  "Why  so?  He  is  not  the  handsomest."  The 
Prince  de  Joinville  was  fair,  with  light-coloured  hair, 
and  the  Marquis  de  Beaupreau  brown,  with  dark  hair. 
I  answered,  "Because  he  is  the  best  behaved;  whilst 
the  Prince  is  always  making  mischief,  and  will  be 
master  over  everybody." 

This  was  a  presage  of  what  we  have  seen  happen 
since,  when  the  whole  Court  was  infected  with  heresy, 
about  the  time  of  the  Conference  of  Poissy.  It  was 
with  great  difficulty  that  I  resisted  and  preserved  my- 
self from  a  change  of  religion  at  that  time.  Many 
ladies  and  lords  belonging  to  Court  strove  to  convert 
me  to  Huguenotism.  The  Due  d'Anjou,  since  King 
Henri  III.  of  France,  then  in  his  infancy,  had  been 
prevailed  on  to  change  his  religion,  and  he  often 
snatched  my  "  Hours "  out  of  my  hand,  and  flung 
them  into  the  fire,  giving  me  Psalm  Books  and  books 
of  Huguenot  prayers,  insisting  on  my  using  them.  I 
took  the  first  opportunity  to  give  them  up  to  my  gov- 
erness, Madame  de  Curton,  whom  God,  out  of  his 
mercy  to  me,  caused  to  continue  steadfast  in  the  Cath- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  17 

olic  religion.  She  frequently  took  me  to  that  pious, 
good  man,  the  Cardinal  de  Tournon,  who  gave  me 
good  advice,  and  strengthened  me  in  a  perseverance 
in  my  religion,  furnishing  me  with  books  and  chaplets 
of  beads  in  the  room  of  those  my  brother  Anjou  took 
from  me  and  burnt. 

Many  of  my  brother's  most  intimate  friends  had 
resolved  on  my  ruin,  and  rated  me  severely  upon  my 
refusal  to  change,  saying  it  proceeded  from  a  childish 
obstinacy;  that  if  I  had  the  least  understanding,  and 
would  listen,  like  other  discreet  persons,  to  the  ser- 
mons that  were  preached,  I  should  abjure  my  unchar- 
itable bigotry;  but  I  was,  said  they,  as  foolish  as  my 
governess.  My  brother  Anjou  added  threats,  and  said 
the  Queen  my  mother  would  give  orders  that  I  should 
be  whipped.  But  this  he  said  of  his  own  head,  for 
the  Queen  my  mother  did  not,  at  that  time,  know 
of  the  errors  he  had  embraced.  As  soon  as  it  came 
to  her  knowledge,  she  took  him  to  task,  and  severely 
reprimanded  his  governors,  insisting  upon  their  cor- 
recting him,  and  instructing  him  in  the  holy  and 
ancient  religion  of  his  forefathers,  from  which  she 
herself  never  swerved.  When  he  used  those  menaces, 
as  I  have  before  related,  I  was  a  child  seven  or  eight 
years  old,  and  at  that  tender  age  would  reply  to  him, 
"  Well,  get  me  whipped  if  you  can;  I  will  suffer  whip- 
ping, and  even  death,  rather  than  be  damned." 

I  could  furnish  you  with  many  other  replies  of  the 
like  kind,  which  gave  proof  of  the  early  ripeness  of 
my  judgment  and  my  courage;  but  I  shall  not  trouble 
myself  with  such  researches,  choosing  rather  to  begin 
these  Memoirs  at  the  time  when  I  resided  constantly 
with  the  Queen  my  mother. 

Immediately  after  the  Conference  of  Poissy,  the 
civil  wars  commenced,  and  my  brother  Alengon  and 
myself,  on  account  of  our  youth,  were  sent  to  Am- 


i8  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

boise,  whither  all  the  ladies  of  the  country  repaired 
to  us.  With  them  came  your  aunt,  Madame  de 
Dampierre,  who  entered  into  a  firm  friendship  with 
me,  which  was  never  interrupted  until  her  death  broke 
it  off.  There  was  likewise  your  cousin,  the  Duchesse 
de  Rais,  who  had  the  good  fortune  to  hear  there  of 
the  death  of  her  brute  of  a  husband,  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Dreux.  The  husband  I  mean  was  the  first 
she  had,  named  M.  d'Annebaut,  who  was  unworthy 
to  have  for  a  wife  so  accomplished  and  charming  a 
woman  as  your  cousin.  She  and  I  were  not  then 
so  intimate  friends  as  we  have  become  since,  and  shall 
ever  remain.  The  reason  was  that,  though  older  than 
I,  she  was  yet  young,  and  young  girls  seldom  take 
much  notice  of  children,  whereas  your  aunt  was  of 
an  age  when  women  admire  their  innocence  and  en- 
gaging simplicity. 

I  remained  at  Amboise  until  the  Queen  my  mother 
was  ready  to  set  out  on  her  grand  progress,  at  which 
time  she  sent  for  me  to  come  to  her  Court,  which  I 
did  not  quit  afterwards. 

Of  this  progress  I  will  not  undertake  to  give  you 
a  description,  being  still  so  young  that,  though  the 
whole  is  within  my  recollection,  yet  the  particular 
passages  of  it  appear  to  me  but  as  a  dream,  and  are 
now  lost.  I  leave  this  task  to  others,  of  riper  years, 
as  you  were  yourself.  You  can  well  remember  the 
magnificence  that  was  displayed  everywhere,  particu- 
larly at  the  baptism  of  my  nephew,  the  Due  de  Lor- 
raine, at  Bar-le-Duc;  at  the  meeting  of  M.  and 
Madame  de  Savoy,  in  the  city  of  Lyons;  the  interview 
at  Bayonne  betwixt  my  sister,  the  Queen  of  Spain, 
the  Queen  my  mother,  and  King  Charles  my  brother. 
In  your  account  of  this  interview  you  would  not  for- 
get to  make  mention  of  the  noble  entertainment  given 
by  the  Queen  my  mother,  on  an  island,  with  the  grand 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  19 

dances,  and  the  form  of  the  salon,  which  seemed  ap- 
propriated by  nature  for  such  a  purpose,  it  being  a 
large  meadow  in  the  middle  of  the  island,  in  the  shape 
of  an  oval,  surrounded  on  eve>ry  side  by  tall  spreading 
trees.  In  this  meadow  the  Queen  my  mother  had 
disposed  a  circle  of  niches,  each  of  them  large  enough 
to  contain  a  table  of  twelve  covers.  At  one  end  a 
platform  was  raised,  ascended  by  four  steps  formed 
of -turf.  Here  their  Majesties  were  seated  at  a  table 
under  a  lofty  canopy.  The  tables  were  all  served  by 
troops  of  shepherdesses  dressed  in  cloth  of  gold  and 
satin,  after  the  fashion  of  the  different  provinces  of 
France.  These  shepherdesses,  during  the  passage  of 
the  superb  boats  from  Bayonne  to  the  island,  were 
placed  in  separate  bands,  in  a  meadow  on  each  side 
of  the  causeway,  raised  with  turf;  and  whilst  their 
Majesties  and  the  company  were  passing  through  the 
great  salon,  they  danced.  On  their  passage  by  water, 
the  barges  were  followed  by  other  boats,  having  on 
board  vocal  and  instrumental  musicians,  habited  like 
Nereids,  singing  and  playing  the  whole  time.  After 
landing,  the  shepherdesses  I  have  mentioned  before 
received  the  company  in  separate  troops,  with  songs 
and  dances,  after  the  fashion  and  accompanied  by  the 
music  of  the  provinces  they  represented, — the  Poite- 
vins  playing  on  bagpipes;  the  Provengales  on  the  viol 
and  cymbal;  the  Burgundians  and  Champagners  on 
the  hautboy,  bass  viol,  and  tambourine;  in  like  man- 
ner the  Bretons  and  other  provincialists.  After  the 
collation  was  served  and  the  feast  at  an  end,  a  large 
troop  of  musicians,  habited  like  satyrs,  was  seen  to 
come  out  of  the  opening  of  a  rock,  well  lighted  up, 
whilst  nymphs  were  descending  from  the  top  in  rich 
habits,  who,  as  they  came  down,  formed  into  a  grand 
dance, — when,  lo!  fortune  no  longer  favouring  this 
brilliant  festival,  a  sudden  storm  of  rain  came  on, 


20  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS 

and  all  were  glad  to  get  off  in  the  boats  and  make 
for  town  as  fast  as  they  could.  The  confusion  in 
consequence  of  this  precipitate  retreat  afforded  as 
much  matter  to  laugh  at  the  next  day  as  the  splen- 
dour of  the  entertainment  had  excited  admiration.  In 
short,  the  festivity  of  this  day  was  not  forgotten,  on 
one  account  or  the  other,  amidst  the  variety  of  the 
like  nature  which  succeeded  it  in  the  course  of  this 
progress. 


LETTER  II 

A'  the  time  my  magnanimous  brother  Charles 
reigned  over  France,  and  some  few  years  after 
our  return  from  the  grand  progress  mentioned 
in  my  last  letter,  the  Huguenots  having  renewed  the 
war,  a  gentleman,  despatched  from  my  brother  Anjou 
(afterwards  Henri  III.  of  France),  came  to  Paris  to 
inform  the  King  and  the  Queen  my  mother  that  the 
Huguenot  army  was  reduced  to  such  an  extremity 
that  he  hoped  in  a  few  days  to  force  them  to  give 
him  battle.  He  added  his  earnest  wish  for  the  hon- 
our of  seeing  them  at  Tours  before  that  happened, 
so  that,  in  case  Fortune,  envying  him  the  glory  he 
had  already  achieved  at  so  early  an  age,  should,  on  the 
so  much  looked- for  day,  after  the  good  service  he 
had  done  his  religion  and  his  King,  crown  the  victory 
with  his  death,  he  might  not  have  cause  to  regret 
leaving  this  world  without  the  satisfaction  of  receiv- 
ing their  approbation  of  his  conduct  from  their  own 
mouths, — a  satisfaction  which  would  be  more  valua- 
ble, in  his  opinion,  than  the  trophies  he  had  gained  by 
his  two  former  victories. 

I  leave  to  your  own  imagination  to  suggest  to  you 
the  impression  which  such  a  message  from  a  dearly 
beloved  son  made  on  the  mind  of  a  mother  who  doted 
on  all  her  children,  and  was  always  ready  to  sacrifice 
her  own  repose,  nay,  even  her  life,  for  their  happiness. 

She  resolved  immediately  to  set  off  and  take  the 
King  with  her.  She  had,  besides  myself,  her  usual 
small  company  of  female  attendants,  together  with 
Mesdames  de  Rais  and  de  Sauves.  She  flew  on  the 

21 


22  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

wings  of  maternal  affection,  and  reached  Tours  in 
three  days  and  a  half.  A  journey  from  Paris,  made 
with  such  precipitation,  was  not  unattended  with  ac- 
cidents and  some  inconveniences,  of  a  nature  to  occa- 
sion much  mirth  and  laughter.  The  poor  Cardinal  de 
Bourbon,  who  never  quitted  her,  and  whose  temper  of 
mind,  strength  of  body,  and  habits  of  life  were  ill 
suited  to  encounter  privations  and  hardships,  suffered 
greatly  from  this  rapid  journey. 

We  found  my  brother  Anjou  at  Plessis-les-Tours, 
with  the  principal  officers  of  his  army,  who  were  the 
flower  of  the  princes  and  nobles  of  France.  In  their 
presence  he  delivered  a  harangue  to  the  King,  giving 
a  detail  of  his  conduct  in  the  execution  of  his  charge, 
beginning  from  the  time  he  left  the  Court.  His  dis- 
course was  framed  with  so  much  eloquence,  and 
spoken  so  gracefully,  that  it  was  admired  by  all  pres- 
ent. It  appeared  matter  of  astonishment  that  a  youth 
of  sixteen  should  reason  with  all  the  gravity  and  pow- 
ers of  an  orator  of  ripe  years.  The  comeliness  of 
his  person,  which  at  all  times  pleads  powerfully  in 
favour  of  a  speaker,  was  in  him  set  off  by  the  laurels 
obtained  in  two  victories.  In  short,  it  was  difficult  to 
say  which  most  contributed  to  make  him  the  admira- 
tion of  all  his  hearers. 

It  is  equally  as  impossible  for  me  to  describe  in 
words  the  feelings  of  my  mother  on  this  occasion,  who 
loved  him  above  all  her  children,  as  it  was  for  the 
painter  to  represent  on  canvas  the  grief  of  Iphigenia's 
father.  Such  an  overflow  of  joy  would  have  been 
discoverable  in  the  looks  and  actions  of  any  other 
woman,  but  she  had  her  passions  so  much  under  the 
control  of  prudence  and  discretion  that  there  was 
nothing  to  be  perceived  in  her  countenance,  or  gath- 
ered from  her  words,  of  what  she  felt  inwardly  in 
her  mind.  She  was,  indeed,  a  perfect  mistress  of 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  23 

herself,  and  regulated  her  discourse  and  her  actions 
by  the  rules  of  wisdom  and  sound  policy,  showing  that 
a  person  of  discretion  does  upon  all  occasions  only 
what  is  proper  to  be  done.  She  did  not  amuse  her- 
self on  this  occasion  with  listening  to  the  praises 
which  issued  from  every  mouth,  and  sanction  them 
with  her  own  approbation;  but,  selecting  the  chief 
points  in  the  speech  relative  to  the  future  conduct  of 
the  war,  she  laid  them  before  the  Princes  and  great 
lords,  to  be  deliberated  upon,  in  order  to  settle  a  plan 
of  operations. 

To  arrange  such  a  plan  a  delay  of  some  days  was 
requisite.  During  this  interval,  the  Queen  my  mother 
walking  in  the  park  with  some  of  the  Princes,  my 
brother  Anjou  begged  me  to  take  a  turn  or  two  with 
him  in  a  retired  walk.  He  then  addressed  me  in  the 
following  words :  "  Dear  sister,  the  nearness  of  blood, 
as  well  as  our  having  been  brought  up  together,  nat- 
urally, as  they  ought,  attach  us  to  each  other.  You 
must  already  have  discovered  the  partiality  I  have 
had  for  you  above  my  brothers,  and  I  think  that  I 
have  perceived  the  same  in  you  for  me.  We  have 
been  hitherto  led  to  this  by  nature,  without  deriving 
any  other  advantage  from  it  than  the  sole  pleasure  of 
conversing  together.  So  far  might  be  well  enough 
for  our  childhood,  but  now  we  are  no  longer  children. 
You  know  the  high  situation  in  which,  by  the  favour 
of  God  and  our  good  mother  the  Queen,  I  am  here 
placed.  You  may  be  assured  that,  as  you  are  the 
person  in  the  world  whom  I  love  and  esteem  the  most, 
you  will  always  be  a  partaker  of  my  advancement. 
I  know  you  are  not  wanting  in  wit  and  discretion, 
and  I  am  sensible  you  have  it  in  your  power  to  do 
me  service  with  the  Queen  our  mother,  and  preserve 
me  in  my  present  employments.  It  is  a  great  point 
obtained  for  me,  always  to  stand  well  in  her  favour. 


24  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

I  am  fearful  that  my  absence  may  be  prejudicial  to 
that  purpose,  and  I  must  necessarily  be  at  a  distance 
from  Court.  Whilst  I  am  away,  the  King  my  brother 
is  with  her,  and  has  it  in  his  power  to  insinuate  him- 
self into  her  good  graces.  This  I  fear,  in  the  end, 
may  be  of  disservice  to  me.  The  King  my  brother  is 
growing  older  every  day.  He  does  not  want  for  cour- 
age, and,  though  he  now  diverts  himself  with  hunting, 
he  may  grow  ambitious,  and  choose  rather  to  chase 
men  than  beasts;  in  such  a  case  I  must  resign  to  him 
my  commission  as  his  lieutenant.  This  would  prove 
the  greatest  mortification  that  could  happen  to  me, 
and  I  would  even  prefer  death  to  it.  Under  such  an 
apprehension  I  have  considered  of  the  means  of  pre- 
vention, and  see  none  so  feasible  as  having  a  confi- 
dential person  about  the  Queen  my  mother,  who  shall 
always  be  ready  to  espouse  and  support  my  cause.  I 
know  no  one  so  proper  for  that  purpose  as  yourself, 
who  will  be,  I  doubt  not,  as  attentive  to  my  interest 
as  I  should  be  myself.  You  have  wit,  discretion,  and 
fidelity,  which  are  all  that  are  wanting,  provided  you 
will  be  so  kind  as  to  undertake  such  a  good  office.  In 
that  case  I  shall  have  only  to  beg  of  you  not  to  neg- 
lect attending  her  morning  and  evening,  to  be  the  first 
with  her  and  the  last  to  leave  her.  This  will  induce 
her  to  repose  a  confidence  and  open  her  mind  to  you. 
To  make  her  the  more  ready  to  do  this,  I  shall  take 
every  opportunity  to  commend  your  good  sense  and 
understanding,  and  to  tell  her  that  I  shall  take  it  kind 
in  her  to  leave  off  treating  you  as  a  child,  which,  I 
shall  say,  will  contribute  to  her  own  comfort  and  sat- 
isfaction. I  am  well  convinced  that  she  will  listen  to 
my  advice.  Do  you  speak  to  her  with  the  same  con- 
fidence as  you  do  to  me,  and  be  assured  that  she  will 
approve  of  it.  It  will  conduce  to  your  own  happiness 
to  obtain  her  favour.  You  may  do  yourself  service 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  25 

whilst  you  are  labouring  for  my  interest ;  and  you  may 
rest  satisfied  that,  after  God,  I  shall  think  I  owe  all 
the  good  fortune  which  may  befall  me  to  yourself." 

This  was  entirely  a  new  kind  of  language  to  me. 
I  had  hitherto  thought  of  nothing  but  amusements, 
of  dancing,  hunting,  and  the  like  diversions;  nay,  I 
had  never  yet  discovered  any  inclination  of  setting 
myself  off  to  advantage  by  dress,  and  exciting  an 
admiration  of  my  person  and  figure.  I  had  no  am- 
bition of  any  kind,  and  had  been  so  strictly  brought 
up  under  the  Queen  my  mother  that  I  scarcely  durst 
speak  before  her;  and  if  she  chanced  to  turn  her  eyes 
towards  me  I  trembled,  for  fear  that  I  had  done  some- 
thing to  displease  her.  At  the  conclusion  of  my 
brother's  harangue,  I  was  half  inclined  to  reply  to 
him  in  the  words  of  Moses,  when  he  was  spoken  to 
from  the  burning  bush :  "  Who  am  I,  that  I  should  go 
unto  Pharaoh  ?  Send,  I  pray  thee,  by  the  hand  of  him 
whom  thou  wilt  send." 

However,  his  words  inspired  me  with  resolution 
and  powers  I  did  not  think  myself  possessed  of  be- 
fore. I  had  naturally  a  degree  of  courage,  and,  as 
soon  as  I  recovered  from  my  astonishment,  I  found 
I  was  quite  an  altered  person.  His  address  pleased 
me,  and  wrought  in  me  a  confidence  in  myself;  and 
•I  found  I  was  become  of  more  consequence  than  I 
had  ever  conceived  I  had  been.  Accordingly,  I  re- 
plied to  him  thus :  "  Brother,  if  God  grant  me  the 
power  of  speaking  to  the  Queen  our  mother  as  I  have 
the  will  to  do,  nothing  can  be  wanting  for  your  serv- 
ice, and  you  may  expect  to  derive  all  the  good  you 
hope  from  it,  and  from  my  solicitude  and  attention 
for  your  interest.  With  respect  to  my  undertaking 
such  a  matter  for  you,  you  will  soon  perceive  that 
I  shall  sacrifice  all  the  pleasures  in  this  world  to  my 
watchfulness  for  your  service.  You  may  perfectly 


26  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS 

rely  on  me,  as  there  is  no  one  that  honours  or  regards 
you  more  than  I  do.  Be  well  assured  that  I  shall 
act  for  you  with  the  Queen  my  mother  as  zealously 
as  you  would  for  yourself." 

These  sentiments  were  more  strongly  impressed 
upon  my  mind  than  the  words  I  made  use  of  were 
capable  of  conveying  an  idea  of.  This  will  appear 
more  fully  in  my  following  letters. 

As  soon  as  we  were  returned  from  walking,  the 
Queen  my  mother  retired  with  me  into  her  closet, 
and  addressed  the  following  words  to  me :  "  Your 
brother  has  been  relating  the  conversation  you  have 
had  together;  he  considers  you  no  longer  as  a  child, 
neither  shall  I.  It  will  be  a  great  comfort  to  me  to 
converse  with  you  as  I  would  with  your  brother.  For 
the  future  you  will  freely  speak  your  mind,  and  have 
no  apprehensions  of  taking  too  great  a  liberty,  for  it 
is  what  I  wish."  These  words  gave  me  a  pleasure 
then  which  I  am  now  unable  to  express.  I  felt  a 
satisfaction  and  a  joy  which  nothing  before  had  ever 
caused  me  to  feel.  I  now  considered  the  pastimes  of 
my  childhood  as  vain  amusements.  I  shunned  the 
society  of  my  former  companions  of  the  same  age.  I 
disliked  dancing  and  hunting,  which  I  thought  beneath 
my  attention.  I  strictly  complied  with  her  agreeable 
injunction,  and  never  missed  being  with  her  at  her 
rising  in  the  morning  and  going  to  rest  at  night. 
She  did  me  the  honour,  sometimes,  to  hold  me  in  con- 
versation for  two  and  three  hours  at  a  time.  God 
was  so  gracious  with  me  that  I  gave  her  great  satis- 
faction; and  she  thought  she  could  not  sufficiently 
praise  me  to  those  ladies  who  were  about  her.  I 
spoke  of  my  brother's  affairs  to  her,  and  he  was  con- 
stantly apprised  by  me  of  her  sentiments  and  opinion; 
so  that  he  had  every  reason  to  suppose  I  was  firmly 
attached  to  his  interest. 


LETTER  III 

1  CONTINUED  to  pass  my  time  with  the  Queen  my 
mother,  greatly  to  my  satisfaction,  until  after  the 
battle  of  Moncontour.  By  the  same  despatch  that 
brought  the  news  of  this  victory  to  the  Court,  my 
brother,  who  was  ever  desirous  to  be  near  the  Queen 
my  mother,  wrote  her  word  that  he  was  about  to  lay 
siege  to  St.  Jean  d'Angely,  and  that  it  would  be  nec- 
essary that  the  King  should  be  present  whilst  it  was 
going  on.  She,  more  anxious  to  see  him  than  he  could 
be  to  have  her  near  him,  hastened  to  set  out  on  the 
journey,  taking  me  with  her,  and  her  customary  train 
of  attendants.  I  likewise  experienced  great  joy  upon 
the  occasion,  having  no  suspicion  that  any  mischief 
awaited  me.  I  was  still  young  and  without  expe- 
rience, and  I  thought  the  happiness  I  enjoyed  was 
always  to  continue;  but  the  malice  of  Fortune  pre- 
pared for  me  at  this  interview  a  reverse  that  I  little 
expected,  after  the  fidelity  with  which  I  had  dis- 
charged the  trust  my  brother  had  reposed  in  me. 

Soon  after  our  last  meeting,  it  seems,  my  brother 
Anjou  had  taken  Le  Guast  to  be  near  his  person,  who 
had  ingratiated  himself  so  far  into  his  favour  and  con- 
fidence that  he  saw  only  with  his  eyes,  and  spoke  but 
as  he  dictated.  This  evil-disposed  man,  whose  whole 
life  was  one  continued  scene  of  wickedness,  had  per- 
verted his  mind  and  filled  it  with  maxims  of  the  most 
atrocious  nature.  He  advised  him  to  have  no  regard 
but  for  his  own  interest;  neither  to  love  nor  put  trust 
in  any  one;  and  not  to  promote  the  views  or  advan- 

27 


28  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

tage  of  either  brother  or  sister.  These  and  other 
maxims  of  the  like  nature,  drawn  from  the  school  of 
Machiavelli,  he  was  continually  suggesting  to  him. 
He  had  so  frequently  inculcated  them  that  they  were 
strongly  impressed  on  his  mind,  insomuch  that,  upon 
our  arrival,  when,  after  the  first  compliments,  my 
mother  began  to  open  in  my  praise  and  express  the 
attachment  I  had  discovered  for  him,  this  was  his 
reply,  which  he  delivered  with  the  utmost  coldness: 
"  He  was  well  pleased,"  he  said,  "  to  have  succeeded 
in  the  request  he  had  made  to  me;  but  that  prudence 
directed  us  not  to  continue  to  make  use  of  the  same 
expedients,  for  what  was  profitable  at  one  time  might 
not  be  so  at  another."  She  asked  him  why  he  made 
that  observation.  This  question  afforded  the  oppor- 
tunity he  wished  for,  of  relating  a  story  he  had  fab- 
ricated, purposely  to  ruin  me  with  her. 

He  began  with  observing  to  her  that  I  was  grown 
very  handsome,  and  that  M.  de  Guise  wished  to  marry 
me;  that  his  uncles,  too,  were  very  desirous  of  such  a 
match;  and,  if  I  should  entertain  a  like  passion  for 
him,  there  would  be  danger  of  my  discovering  to  him 
all  she  said  to  me;  that  she  well  knew  the  ambition 
of  that  house,  and  how  ready  they  were,  on  all  occa- 
sions, to  circumvent  ours.  It  would,  therefore,  be 
proper  that  she  should  not,  for  the  future,  communi- 
cate any  matter  of  State  to  me,  but,  by  degrees, 
withdraw  her  confidence. 

I  discovered  the  evil  effects  proceeding  from  this 
pernicious  advice  on  the  very  same  evening.  I  re- 
marked an  unwillingness  on  her  part  to  speak  to  me 
before  my  brother;  and,  as  soon  as  she  entered  into 
discourse  with  him,  she  commanded  me  to  go  to  bed. 
This  command  she  repeated  two  or  three  times.  I 
quitted  her  closet,  and  left  them  together  in  conversa- 
tion; but,  as  soon  as  he  was  gone,  I  returned  and  en- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  29 

treated  her  to  let  me  know  if  I  had  been  so  unhappy 
as  to  have  done  anything,  through  ignorance,  which 
had  given  her  offence.  She  was  at  first  inclined  to 
dissemble  with  me ;  but  at  length  she  said  to  me  thus : 
"  Daughter,  your  brother  is  prudent  and  cautious;  you 
ought  not  to  be  displeased  with  him  for  what  he  does, 
and  you  must  believe  what  I  shall  tell  you  is  right 
and  proper."  She  then  related  the  conversation  she 
had  with  my  brother,  as  I  have  just  written  it;  and 
she  then  ordered  me  never  to  speak  to  her  in  my  broth- 
er's presence. 

These  words  were  like  so  many  daggers  plunged 
into  my  breast.  In  my  disgrace,  I  experienced  as 
much  grief  as  I  had  before  joy  on  being  received 
into  her  favour  and  confidence.  I  did  not  omit  to 
say  everything  to  convince  her  of  my  entire  ignorance 
of  what  my  brother  had  told  her.  I  said  it  was  a 
matter  I  had  never  heard  mentioned  before;  and 
that,  had  I  known  it,  I  should  certainly  have  made 
her  immediately  acquainted  with  it.  All  I  said  was 
to  no  purpose;  my  brother's  words  had  made  the 
first  impression;  they  were  constantly  present  in  her 
mind,  and  outweighed  probability  and  truth.  When 
I  discovered  this,  I  told  her  that  I  felt  less  uneasiness 
at  being  deprived  of  my  happiness  than  I  did  joy  when 
I  had  acquired  it;  for  my  brother  had  taken  it  from 
me,  as  he  had  given  it.  He  had  given  it  without 
reason ;  he  had  taken  it  away  without  cause.  He 
had  praised  me  for  discretion  and  prudence  when  I 
did  not  merit  it,  and  he  suspected  my  fidelity  on 
grounds  wholly  imaginary  and  fictitious.  I  concluded 
with  assuring  her  that  I  should  never  forget  my  broth- 
er's behaviour  on  this  occasion. 

Hereupon  she  flew  into  a  passion  and  commanded 
me  not  to  make  the  least  show  of  resentment  at  his 
behaviour.  From  that  hour  she  gradually  withdrew 


30  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

her  favour  from  me.  Her  son  became  the  god  of  her 
idolatry,  at  the  shrine  of  whose  will  she  sacrificed 
everything. 

The  grief  which  I  inwardly  felt  was  very  great  and 
overpowered  all  my  faculties,  until  it  wrought  so  far 
on  my  constitution  as  to  contribute  to  my  receiving 
the  infection  which  then  prevailed  in  the  army.  A 
few  days  after  I  fell  sick  of  a  raging  fever,  attended 
with  purple  spots,  a  malady  which  carried  off  num- 
bers, and,  amongst  the  rest,  the  two  principal  physi- 
cians belonging  to  the  King  and  Queen,  Chappelain 
and  Castelan.  Indeed,  few  got  over  the  disorder 
after  being  attacked  with  it. 

In  this  extremity  the  Queen  my  mother,  who  partly 
guessed  the  cause  of  my  illness,  omitted  nothing  that 
might  serve  to  remove  it;  and,  without  fear  of  conse- 
quences, visited  me  frequently.  Her  goodness  con- 
tributed much  to  my  recovery;  but  my  brother's 
hypocrisy  was  sufficient  to  destroy  all  the  benefit  I 
received  from  her  attention,  after  having  been  guilty 
of  so  treacherous  a  proceeding.  After  he  had  proved 
so  ungrateful  to  me,  he  came  and  sat  at  the  foot  of 
my  bed  from  morning  to  night,  and  appeared  as 
anxiously  attentive  as  if  we  had  been  the  most  per- 
fect friends.  My  mouth  was  shut  up  by  the  com- 
mand I  had  received  from  the  Queen  our  mother,  so 
that  I  only  answered  his  dissembled  concern  with 
sighs,  like  Burrus  in  the  presence  of  Nero,  when  he 
was  dying  by  the  poison  administered  by  the  hands 
of  that  tyrant.  The  sighs,  however,  which  -I  vented 
in  my  brother's  presence,  might  convince  him  that  I 
attributed  my  sickness  rather  to  his  ill  offices  than  to 
the  prevailing  contagion. 

God  had  mercy  on  me,  and  supported  me  through 
this  dangerous  illness.  After  I  had  kept  my  bed  a 
fortnight,  the  army  changed  its  quarters,  and  I  was 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  31 

conveyed  away  with  it  in  a  litter.  At  the  end  of  each 
day's  march,  I  found  King  Charles  at  the  door  of  my 
quarters,  ready,  with  the  rest  of  the  good  gentlemen 
belonging  to  the  Court,  to  carry  my  litter  up  to  my 
bedside.  In  this  manner  I  came  to  Angers  from  St. 
Jean  d'Angely,  sick  in  body,  but  more  sick  in  mind. 
Here,  to  my  misfortune,  M.  de  Guise  and  his  uncles 
had  arrived  before  me.  This  was  a  circumstance 
which  gave  my  good  brother  great  pleasure,  as  it 
afforded  a  colourable  appearance  to  his  story.  I 
soon  discovered  the  advantage  my  brother  would  make 
of  it  to  increase  my  already  too  great  mortification; 
for  he  came  daily  to  see  me,  and  as  constantly  brought 
M.  de  Guise  into  my  chamber  with  him.  He  pre- 
tended the  sincerest  regard  for  De  Guise,  and,  to 
make  him  believe  it,  would  take  frequent  opportu- 
nities of  embracing  him,  crying  out  at  the  same  time, 
"  Would  to  God  you  were  my  brother !  "  This  he 
often  put  in  practice  before  me,  which  M.  de  Guise 
seemed  not  to  comprehend;  but  I,  who  knew  his  ma- 
licious designs,  lost  all  patience,  yet  did  not  dare  to 
reproach  him  with  his  hypocrisy. 

As  soon  as  I  was  recovered,  a  treaty  was  set  on 
foot  for  a  marriage  betwixt  the  King  of  Portugal  and 
me,  an  ambassador  having  been  sent  for  that  purpose. 
The  Queen  my  mother  commanded  me  to  prepare 
to  give  the  ambassador  an  audience;  .which  I  did 
accordingly.  My  brother  had  made  her  believe  that 
I  was  averse  to  this  marriage;  accordingly,  she  took 
me  to  task  upon  it,  and  questioned  me  on  the  subject, 
expecting  she  should  find  some  cause  to  be  angry 
with  me.  I  told  her  my  will  had  always  been  guided 
by  her  own,  and  that  whatever  she  thought  right  for 
me  to  do,  I  should  do  it.  She  answered  me,  angrily, 
according  as  she  had  been  wrought  upon,  that  I  did 
not  speak  the  sentiments  of  my  heart,  for  she  well 


32  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS 

knew  that  the  Cardinal  de  Lorraine  had  persuaded 
me  into  a  promise  of  having  his  nephew.  I  begged 
her  to  forward  this  match  with  the  King  of  Portugal, 
and  I  would  convince  her  of  my  obedience  to  her  com- 
mands. Every  day  some  new  matter  was  reported 
to  incense  her  against  me.  All  these  were  machina- 
tions worked  up  by  the  mind  of  Le  Guast.  In  short, 
I  was  constantly  receiving  some  fresh  mortification, 
so  that  I  hardly  passed  a  day  in  quiet.  On  one  side, 
the  King  of  Spain  was  using  his  utmost  endeavours 
to  break  off  the  match  with  Portugal,  and  M.  de 
Guise,  continuing  at  Court,  furnished  grounds  for  per- 
secuting me  on  the  other.  Still,  not  a  single  person 
of  the  Guises  ever  mentioned  a  word  to  me  on  the  sub- 
ject; and  it  was  well  known  that,  for  more  than  a 
twelvemonth,  M.  de  Guise  had  been  paying  his  ad- 
dresses to  the  Princesse  de  Porcian;  but  the  slow 
progress  made  in  bringing  this  match  to  a  conclusion 
was  said  to  be  owing  to  his  designs  upon  me. 

As  soon  as  I  made  this  discovery  I  resolved  to 
write  to  my  sister,  Madame  de  Lorraine,  who  had 
a  great  influence  in  the  House  of  Porcian,  begging 
her  to  use  her  endeavours  to  withdraw  M.  de  Guise 
from  Court,  and  make  him  conclude  his  match  with 
the  Princess,  laying  open  to  her  the  plot  which  had 
been  concerted  to  ruin  the  Guises  and  me.  She 
readily  saw  through  it,  came  immediately  to  Court, 
and  concluded  the  match,  which  delivered  me  from 
the  aspersions  cast  on  my  character,  and  convinced  the 
Queen  my  mother  that  what  I  had  told  her  was  the 
real  truth.  This  at  the  same  time  stopped  the  mouths 
of  my  enemies  and  gave  me  some  repose. 

At  length  the  King  of  Spain,  unwilling  that  the 
King  of  Portugal  should  marry  out  of  his  family, 
broke  off  the  treaty  which  had  been  entered  upon  for 
my  marriage  with  him. 


LETTER  IV 

SOME  short  time  after  this  a  marriage  was  pro- 
jected betwixt  the  Prince  of  Navarre,  now  our 
renowned  King  Henri  IV.,  and  me. 

The  Queen  my  mother,  as  she  sat  at  table,  dis- 
coursed for  a  long  time  upon  the  subject  with  M.  de 
Meru,  the  House  of  Montmorency  having  first  pro- 
posed the  match.  After  the  Queen  had  risen  from  ta- 
ble, he  told  me  she  had  commanded  him  to  mention 
it  to  me.  I  replied  that  it  was  quite  unnecessary,  as 
I  had  no  will  but  her  own;  however,  I  should  wish 
she  would  be  pleased  to  remember  that  I  was  a  Catho- 
lic, and  that  I  should  dislike  to  marry  any  one  of  a 
contrary  persuasion. 

Soon  after  this  the  Queen  sent  for  me  to  attend 
her  in  her  closet.  She  there  informed  me  that  the 
Montmorencys  had  proposed  this  match  to  her,  and 
that  she  was  desirous  to  learn  my  sentiments  upon  it. 
I  answered  that  my  choice  was  governed  by  her 
pleasure,  and  that  I  only  begged  her  not  to  forget 
that  I  was  a  good  Catholic. 

This  treaty  was  in  negotiation  for  some  time  after 
this  conversation,  and  was  not  finally  settled  until  the 
arrival  of  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  his  mother,  at  Court, 
where  she  died  soon  after. 

Whilst  the  Queen  of  Navarre  lay  on  her  death-bed, 
a  circumstance  happened  of  so  whimsical  a  nature 
that,  though  not  of  consequence  to  merit  a  place  in 
the  history,  it  may  very  well  deserve  to  be  related 
by  me  to  you.  Madame  de  Nevers,  whose  oddities 
you  well  know,  attended  the  Cardinal  de  Bourbon, 

A— a  33 


34  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

Madame  de  Guise,  the  Princesse  de  Conde,  her  sisters, 
and  myself  to  the  late  Queen  of  Navarre's  apart- 
ments, whither  we  all  went  to  pay  those  last  duties 
which  her  rank  and  our  nearness  of  blood  demanded 
of  us.  We  found  the  Queen  in  bed  with  her  curtains 
undrawn,  the  chamber  not  disposed  with  the  pomp 
and  ceremonies  of  our  religion,  but  after  the  simple 
manner  of  the  Huguenots;  that  is  to  say,  there  were 
no  priests,  no  cross,  nor  any  holy  water.  We  kept 
ourselves  at  some  distance  from  the  bed,  but  Madame 
de  Nevers,  whom  you  know  the  Queen  hated  more 
than  any  woman  besides,  and  which  she  had  shown 
both  in  speech  and  by  actions, — Madame  de  Nevers, 
I  say,  approached  the  bedside,  and,  to  the  great 
astonishment  of  all  present,  who  well  knew  the  en- 
mity subsisting  betwixt  them,  took  the  Queen's  hand, 
with  many  low  curtseys,  and  kissed  it;  after  which, 
making  another  curtsey  to  the  very  ground,  she  re- 
tired and  rejoined  us. 

A  few  months  after  the  Queen's  death,  the  Prince 
of  Navarre,  or  rather,  as  he  was  then  styled,  the  King, 
came  to  Paris  in  deep  mourning,  attended  by  eight 
hundred  gentlemen,  all  in  mourning  habits.  He  was 
received  with  every  honour  by  King  Charles  and  the 
whole  Court,  and,  in  a  few  days  after  his  arrival,  our 
marriage  was  solemnised  with  all  possible  magnifi- 
cence; the  King  of  Navarre  and  his  retinue  putting 
off  their  mourning  and  dressing  themselves  in  the 
most  costly  manner.  The  whole  Court,  too,  was 
richly  attired;  all  which  you  can  better  conceive  than 
I  am  able  to  express.  For  my  own  part,  I  was  set 
out  in  a  most  royal  manner;  I  wore  a  crown  on  my 
head  with  the  coet,  or  regal  close  gown  of  ermine, 
and  I  blazed  in  diamonds.  My  blue-coloured  robe 
had  a  train  to  it  of  four  ells  in  length,  which  was  sup- 
ported by  three  princesses.  A  platform  had  been 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  35 

raised,  some  height  from  the  ground,  which  led  from 
the  Bishop's  palace  to  the  Church  of  Notre-Dame.  It 
was  hung  with  cloth  of  gold;  and  below  it  stood  the 
people  in  throngs  to  view  the  procession,  stifling  with 
heat.  We  were  received  at  the  church  door  by  the 
Cardinal  de  Bourbon,  who  officiated  for  that  day,  and 
pronounced  the  nuptial  benediction.  After  this  we 
proceeded  on  the  same  platform  to  the  tribune  which 
separates  the  nave  from  the  choir,  where  was  a 
double  staircase,  one  leading  into  the  choir,  the  other 
through  the  nave  to  the  church  door.  The  King  of 
Navarre  passed  by  the  latter  and  went  out  of  church. 

But  fortune,  which  is  ever  changing,  did  not  fail 
soon  to  disturb  the  felicity  of  this  union.  This  was 
occasioned  by  the  wound  received  by  the  Admiral, 
which  had  wrought  the  Huguenots  up  to  a  degree  of 
desperation.  The  Queen  my  mother  was  reproached 
on  that  account  in  such  terms  by  the  elder  Pardaillan 
and  some  other  principal  Huguenots,  that  she  began 
to  apprehend  some  evil  design.  M.  de  Guise  and  my 
brother  the  King  of  Poland,  since  Henri  III.  of 
France,  gave  it  as  their  advice  to  be  beforehand  with 
the  Huguenots.  King  Charles  was  of  a  contrary 
opinion.  He  had  a  great  esteem  for  M.  de  La  Roche- 
foucauld, Teligny,  La  Noue,  and  some  other  leading 
men  of  the  same  religion;  and,  as  I  have  since  heard 
him  say,  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  he  could 
be  prevailed  upon  to  give  his  consent,  and  not  before 
he  had  been  made  to  understand  that  his  own  life  and 
the  safety  of  his  kingdom  depended  upon  it. 

The  King  having  learned  that  Maurevel  had  made 
an  attempt  upon  the  Admiral's  life,  by  firing  a  pistol 
at  him  through  a  window, — in  which  attempt  he 
failed,  having  wounded  the  Admiral  only  in  the  shoul- 
der,— and  supposing  that  Maurevel  had  done  this  at 
the  instance  of  M.  de  Guise,  to  revenge  the  death  of 

Memoirs — 2  VoL  1 


36  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

his  father,  whom  the  Admiral  had  caused  to  be  killed 
in  the  same  manner  by  Poltrot,  he  was  so  much  in- 
censed against  M.  de  Guise  that  he  declared  with  an 
oath  that  he  would  make  an  example  of  him;  and, 
indeed,  the  King  would  have  put  M.  de  Guise  under 
an  arrest,  if  he  had  not  kept  out  of  his  sight  the 
whole  day.  The  Queen  my  mother  used  every  argu- 
ment to  convince  King  Charles  that  what  had  been 
done  was  for  the  good  of  the  State;  and  this  be- 
cause, as  I  observed  before,  the  King  had  so  great  a 
regard  for  the  Admiral,  La  Noue,  and  Teligny,  on 
account  of  their  bravery,  being  himself  a  prince  of  a 
gallant  and  noble  spirit,  and  esteeming  others  in 
whom  he  found  a  similar  disposition.  Moreover, 
these  designing  men  had  insinuated  themselves  into 
the  King's  favour  by  proposing  an  expedition  to  Flan- 
ders, with  a  view  of  extending  his  dominions  and  ag- 
grandising his  power,  propositions  which  they  well 
knew  would  secure  to  themselves  an  influence  over  his 
royal  and  generous  mind. 

Upon  this  occasion,  the  Queen  my  mother  repre- 
sented to  the  King  that  the  attempt  of  M.  de  Guise 
upon  the  Admiral's  life  was  excusable  in  a  son  who, 
being  denied  justice,  had  no  other  means  of  avenging 
his  father's  death.  Moreover,  the  Admiral,  she  said, 
had  deprived  her  by  assassination,  during  his  minority 
and  her  regency,  of  a  faithful  servant  in  the  person  of 
Charri,  commander  of  the  King's  body-guard,  which 
rendered  him  deserving  of  the  like  treatment. 

Notwithstanding  that  the  Queen  my  mother  spoke 
thus  to  the  King,  discovering  by  her  expressions  and 
in  her  looks  all  the  grief  which  she  inwardly  felt  on 
the  recollection  of  the  loss  of  persons  who  had  been 
useful  to  her;  yet,  so  much  was  King  Charles  inclined 
to  save  those  who,  as  he  thought,  would  one  day  be 
serviceable  to  him,  that  he  still  persisted  in  his  deter- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  37 

ruination  to  punish  M.  de  Guise,  for  whom  he  ordered 
strict  search  to  be  made. 

At  length  Pardaillan,  disclosing  by  his  menaces, 
during  the  supper  of  the  Queen  my  mother,  the  evil 
intentions  of  the  Huguenots,  she  plainly  perceived  that 
things  were  brought  to  so  near  a  crisis,  that,  unless 
steps  were  taken  that  very  night  to  prevent  it,  the 
King  and  herself  were  in  danger  of  being  assassinated. 
She,  therefore,  came  to  the  resolution  of  declaring  to 
King  Charles  his  real  situation.  For  this  purpose  she 
thought  of  the  Marechal  de  Rais  as  the  most  proper 
person  to  break  the  matter  to  the  King,  the  Marshal 
being  greatly  in  his  favour  and  confidence. 

Accordingly,  the  Marshal  went  to  the  King  in  his 
closet,  between  the  hours  of  nine  and  ten,  and  told 
him  he  was  come  as  a  faithful  servant  to  discharge 
his  duty,  and  lay  before  him  the  danger  in  which  he 
stood,  if  he  persisted  in  his  resolution  of  punishing 
M.  de  Guise,  as  he  ought  now  to  be  informed  that  the 
attempt  made  upon  the  Admiral's  life  was  not  set  on 
foot  by  him  alone,  but  that  his  (the  King's)  brother 
the  King  of  Poland,  and  the  Queen  his  mother,  had 
their  shares  in  it;  that  he  must  be  sensible  how  much 
the  Queen  lamented  Gharri's  assassination,  for  which 
she  had  great  reason,  having  very  few  servants  about 
her  upon  whom  she  could  rely,  and  as  it  happened 
during  the  King's  minority, — at  the  time,  moreover, 
when  France  was  divided  between  the  Catholics  and 
the  Huguenots,  M.  de  Guise  being  at  the  head  of  the 
former,  and  the  Prince  de  Conde  of  the  latter,  both 
alike  striving  to  deprive  him  of  his  crown;  that 
through  Providence,  both  his  crown  and  kingdom  had 
been  preserved  by  the  prudence  and  good  conduct  of 
the  Queen  Regent,  who  in  this  extremity  found  herself 
powerfully  aided  by  the  said  Charri,  for  which  reason 
she  had  vowed  to  avenge  his  death;  that,  as  to  the 


38  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS 

Admiral,  he  must  be  ever  considered  as  dangerous  to 
the  State,  and  whatever  show  he  might  make  of  affec- 
tion for  his  Majesty's  person,  and  zeal  for  his  service 
in  Flanders,  they  must  be  considered  as  mere  pre- 
tences, which  he  used  to  cover  his  real  design  of  re- 
ducing the  kingdom  to  a  state  of  confusion. 

The  Marshal  concluded  with  observing  that  the 
original  intention  had  been  to  make  away  with  the 
Admiral  only,  as  the  most  obnoxious  man  in  the 
kingdom;  but  Maurevel  having  been  so  unfortunate 
as  to  fail  in  his  attempt,  and  the  Huguenots  becom- 
ing desperate  enough  to  resolve  to  take  up  arms,  with 
design  to  attack,  not  only  M.  de  Guise,  but  the  Queen 
his  mother,  and  his  brother  the  King  of  Poland,  sup- 
posing them,  as  well  as  his  Majesty,  to  have  com- 
manded Maurevel  to  make  his  attempt,  he  saw  noth- 
ing but  cause  of  alarm  for  his  Majesty's  safety, — as 
well  on  the  part  of  the  Catholics,  if  he  persisted  in 
his  resolution  to  punish  M.  de  Guise,  as  of  the  Hugue- 
nots, for  the  reasons  which  he  had  just  laid  be- 
fore him. 


LETTER  V 

KING  CHARLES,  a  prince  of  great  prudence, 
always  paying  a  particular  deference  to  his 
mother,  and  being  much  attached  to  the  Cath- 
olic religion,  now  convinced  of  the  intentions  of  the 
Huguenots,  adopted  a  sudden  resolution  of  follow- 
ing his  mother's  counsel,  and  putting  himself  under 
the  safeguard  of  the  Catholics.  It  was  not,  however, 
without  extreme  regret  that  he  found  he  had  it  not 
in  his  power  to  save  Teligny,  La  Noue,  and  M.  de 
La  Rochefoucauld. 

He  went  to  the  apartments  of  the  Queen  his  mother, 
and  sending  for  M.  de  Guise  and  all  the  Princes  and 
Catholic  officers,  the  "  Massacre  of  St.  Bartholo- 
mew "  was  that  night  resolved  upon. 

Immediately  every  hand  was  at  work;  chains  were 
drawn  across  the  streets,  the  alarm-bells  were  sounded, 
and  every  man  repaired  to  his  post,  according  to  the 
orders  he  had  received,  whether  it  was  to  attack  the 
Admiral's  quarters,  or  those  of  the  other  Huguenots. 
M.  de  Guise  hastened  to  the  Admiral's,  and  Besme,  a 
gentleman  in  the  service  of  the  former,  a  German  by 
birth,  forced  into  his  chamber,  and  having  slain  him 
with  a  dagger,  threw  his  body  out  of  a  window  to  his 
master. 

I  was  perfectly  ignorant  of  what  was  going  for- 
ward. I  observed  every  one  to  be  in  motion:  the 
Huguenots,  driven  to  despair  by  the  attack  upon  the 
Admiral's  life,  and  the  Guises,  fearing  they  should 
not  have  justice  done  them,  whispering  all  they  met 
in  the  ear. 

39 


40 

The  Huguenots  were  suspicious  of  me  because  I 
was  a  Catholic,  and  the  Catholics  because  I  was  mar- 
ried to  the  King  of  Navarre,  who  was  a  Huguenot. 
This  being  the  case,  no  one  spoke  a  syllable  of  the 
matter  to  me. 

At  night,  when  I  went  into  the  bedchamber  of  the 
Queen  my  mother,  I  placed  myself  on  a  coffer,  next 
my  sister  Lorraine,  who,  I  could  not  but  remark, 
appeared  greatly  cast  down.  The  Queen  my  mother 
was  in  conversation  with  some  one,  but,  as  soon  as 
she  espied  me,  she  bade  me  go  to  bed.  As  I  was 
taking  leave,  my  sister  seized  me  by  the  hand  and 
stopped  me,  at  the  same  time  shedding  a  flood  of 
tears :  "  For  the  love  of  God,"  cried  she,  "  do  not 
stir  out  of  this  chamber !  "  I  was  greatly  alarmed 
at  this  exclamation;  perceiving  which,  the  Queen  my 
mother  called  my  sister  to  her,  and  chid  her  very 
severely.  My  sister  replied  it  was  sending  me  away 
to  be  sacrificed;  for,  if  any  discovery  should  be  made, 
I  should  be  the  first  victim  of  their  revenge.  The 
Queen  my  mother  made  answer  that,  if  it  pleased 
God,  I  should  receive  no  hurt,  but  it  was  necessary 
I  should  go,  to  prevent  the  suspicion  that  might  arise 
from  my  staying. 

I  perceived  there  was  something  on  foot  which  I 
was  not  to  know,  but  what  it  was  I  could  not  make 
out  from  anything  they  said. 

The  Queen  again  bade  me  go  to  bed  in  a  peremp- 
tory tone.  My  sister  wished  me  a  good  night,  her 
tears  flowing  apace,  but  she  did  not  dare  to  say  a 
word  more;  and  I  left  the  bedchamber  more  dead 
than  alive. 

As  soon  as  I  reached  my  own  closet,  I  threw 
myself  upon  my  knees  and  prayed  to  God  to  take 
me  into  his  protection  and  save  me;  but  from  whom 
or  what,  I  was  ignorant.  Hereupon  the  King  my 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  41 

husband,  who  was  already  in  bed,  sent  for  me.  I 
went  to  him,  and  found  the  bed  surrounded  by  thirty 
or  forty  Huguenots,  who  were  entirely  unknown  to 
me;  for  I  had  been  then  but  a  very  short  time 
married.  Their  whole  discourse,  during  the  night, 
was  upon  what  had  happened  to  the  Admiral,  and 
they  all  came  to  a  resolution  of  the  next  day  de- 
manding justice  of  the  King  against  M.  de  Guise; 
and,  if  it  was  refused,  to  take  it  themselves. 

For  my  part,  I  was  unable  to  sleep  a  wink  the  whole 
night,  for  thinking  of  my  sister's  tears  and  distress, 
which  had  greatly  alarmed  me,  although  I  had  not 
the  least  knowledge  of  the  real  cause.  As  soon  as 
day  broke,  the  King  my  husband  said  he  would  rise 
and  play  at  tennis  until  King  Charles  was  risen,  when 
he  would  go  to  him  immediately  and  demand  jus- 
tice. He  left  the  bedchamber,  and  all  his  gentlemen 
followed. 

As  soon  as  I  beheld  it  was  broad  day,  I  appre- 
hended all  the  danger  my  sister  had  spoken  of  was 
over;  and  being  inclined  to  sleep,  I  bade  my  nurse 
make  the  door  fast,  and  I  applied  myself  to  take 
some  repose.  In  about  an  hour  I  was  awakened  by 
a  violent  noise  at  the  door,  made  with  both  hands 
and  feet,  and  a  voice  calling  out,  "  Navarre !  Na- 
varre !  "  My  nurse,  supposing  the  King  my  husband 
to  be  at  the  door,  hastened  to  open  it,  when  a  gen- 
tleman, named  M.  de  Teian,  ran  in,  and  threw  himself 
immediately  upon  my  bed.  He  had  received  a  wound 
in  his  arm  from  a  sword,  and  another  by  a  pike,  and 
was  then  pursued  by  four  archers,  who  followed  him 
into  the  bedchamber.  Perceiving  these  last,  I  jumped 
out  of  bed,  and  the  poor  gentleman  after  me,  holding 
me  fast  by  the  waist.  I  did  not  then  know  him; 
neither  was  I  sure  that  he  came  to  do  me  no  harm, 
or  whether  the  archers  were  in  pursuit  of  him  or  me. 


42  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

In  this  situation  I  screamed  aloud,  and  he  cried  out 
likewise,  for  our  fright  was  mutual.  At  length,  by 
God's  providence,  M.  de  Nanqay,  captain  of  the  guard, 
came  into  the  bedchamber,  and,  seeing  me  thus  sur- 
rounded, though  he  could  not  help  pitying  me,  he  was 
scarcely  able  to  refrain  from  laughter.  However,  he 
reprimanded  the  archers  very  severely  for  their  indis- 
cretion, and  drove  them  out  of  the  chamber.  At  my 
request  he  granted  the  poor  gentleman  his  life,  and  I 
had  him  put  to  bed  in  my  closet,  caused  his  wounds  to 
be  dressed,  and  did  not  suffer  him  to  quit  my  apart- 
ment until  he  was  perfectly  cured.  I  changed  my 
shift,  because  it  was  stained  with  the  blood  of  this 
man,  and,  whilst  I  was  doing  so,  De  Nangay  gave 
me  an  account  of  the  transactions  of  the  foregoing 
night,  assuring  me  that  the  King  my  husband  was 
safe,  and  actually  at  that  moment  in  the  King's  bed- 
chamber. He  made  me  muffle  myself  up  in  a  cloak, 
and  conducted  me  to  the  apartment  of  my  sister, 
Madame  de  Lorraine,  whither  I  arrived  more  than 
half  dead.  As  we  passed  through  the  antechamber, 
all  the  doors  of  which  were  wide  open,  a  gentleman 
of  the  name  of  Bourse,  pursued  by  archers,  was  run 
through  the  body  with  a  pike,  and  fell  dead  at  my 
feet.  As  if  I  had  been  killed  by  the  same  stroke,  I 
fell,  and  was  caught  by  M.  de  Nangay  before  I 
reached  the  ground.  As  soon  as  I  recovered  from  this 
fainting-fit,  I  went  into  my  sister's  bedchamber,  and 
was  immediately  followed  by  M.  de  Mioflano,  first 
gentleman  to  the  King  my  husband,  and  Armagnac, 
his  first  valet  de  chambre,  who  both  came  to  beg  me 
to  save  their  lives.  I  went  and  threw  myself  on  my 
knees  before  the  King  and  the  Queen  my  mother,  and 
obtained  the  lives  of  both  of  them. 

Five  or  six  days  afterwards,  those  who  were  en- 
gaged in  this  plot,  considering  that  it  was  incomplete 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  43 

whilst  the  King  my  husband  and  the  Prince  de  Conde 
remained  alive,  as  their  design  was  not  only  to  dis- 
pose of  the  Huguenots,  but  of  the  Princes  of  the  blood 
likewise;  and  knowing  that  no  attempt  could  be  made 
on  my  husband  whilst  I  continued  to  be  his  wife,  de- 
vised a  scheme  which  they  suggested  to  the  Queen 
my  mother  for  divorcing  me  from  him.  Accordingly, 
one  holiday,  when  I  waited  upon  her  to  chapel,  she 
charged  me  to  declare  to  her,  upon  my  oath,  whether 
I  believed  my  husband  to  be  like  other  men.  "  Be- 
cause," said  she,  "  if  he  is  not,  I  can  easily  procure 
you  a  divorce  from  him."  I  begged  her  to  believe 
that  I  was  not  sufficiently  competent  to  answer  such 
a  question,  and  could  only  reply,  as  the  Roman  lady 
did  to  her  husband,  when  he  chid  her  for  not  inform- 
ing him  of  his  stinking  breath,  that,  never  having 
approached  any  other  man  near  enough  to  know  a 
difference,  she  thought  all  men  had  been  alike  in  that 
respect.  "  But,"  said  I,  "  Madame,  since  you  have 
put  the  question  to  me,  I  can  only  declare  I  am  con- 
tent to  remain  as  I  am;"  and  this  I  said  because  I 
suspected  the  design  of  separating  me  from  my  hus- 
band was  in  order  to  work  some  mischief  against  him. 


LETTER  VI 

WE  accompanied  the  King  of  Poland  as  far 
as  Beaumont.  For  some  months  before  he 
quitted  France,  he  had  used  every  endeav- 
our to  efface  from  my  mind  the  ill  offices  he  had  so 
ungratefully  done  me.  He  solicited  to  obtain  the  same 
place  in  my  esteem  which  he  held  during  our  in- 
fancy; and,  on  taking  leave  of  me,  made  me  con- 
firm it  by  oaths  and  promises.  His  departure  from 
France,  and  King  Charles's  sickness,  which  happened 
just  about  the  same  time,  excited  the  spirit  of  the  two 
factions  into  which  the  kingdom  was  divided,  to  form 
a  variety  of  plots.  The  Huguenots,  on  the  death  of 
the  Admiral,  had  obtained  from  the  King  my  hus- 
band, and  my  brother  Alenqon,  a  written  obligation 
to  avenge  it.  Before  St.  Bartholomew's  Day,  they 
had  gained  my  brother  over  to  their  party,  by  the 
hope  of  securing  Flanders  for  him.  They  now  per- 
suaded my  husband  and  him  to  leave  the  King  and 
Queen  on  their  return,  and  pass  into  Champagne, 
there  to  join  some  troops  which  were  in  waiting  to 
receive  them. 

M.  de  Miossans,  a  Catholic  gentleman,  having  re- 
ceived an  intimation  of  this  design,  considered  it  so 
prejudicial  to  the  interests  of  the  King  his  master, 
that  he  communicated  it  to  me  with  the  intention  of 
frustrating  a  plot  of  so  much  danger  to  themselves 
and  to  the  State.  I  went  immediately  to  the  King 
and  the  Queen  my  mother,  and  informed  them  that 
I  had  a  matter  of  the  utmost  importance  to  lay  before 

44 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  45 

them;  but  that  I  could  not  declare  it  unless  they 
would  be  pleased  to  promise  me  that  no  harm  should 
ensue  from  it  to  such  as  I  should  name  to  them, 
and  that  they  would  put  a  stop  to  what  was  going 
forward  without  publishing  their  knowledge  of  it. 
Having  obtained  my  request,  I  told  them  that  my 
brother  Alenqon  and  the  King  my  husband  had  an 
intention,  on  the  very  next  day,  of  joining  some  Hu- 
guenot troops,  which  expected  them,  in  order  to  fulfil 
the  engagement  they  had  made  upon  the  Admiral's 
death;  and  for  this  their  intention,  I  begged  they 
might  be  excused,  and  that  they  might  be  prevented 
from  going  away  without  any  discovery  being  made 
that  their  designs  had  been  found  out.  All  this  was 
granted  me,  and  measures  were  so  prudently  taken 
to  stay  them,  that  they  had  not  the  least  suspicion 
that  their  intended  evasion  was  known.  Soon  after, 
we  arrived  at  St.  Germain,  where  we  stayed  some 
time,  on  account  of  the  King's  indisposition.  All  this 
while  my  brother  Alengon  used  every  means  he  could 
devise  to  ingratiate  himself  with  me,  until  at  last  I 
promised  him  my  friendship,  as  I  had  before  done 
to  my  brother  the  King  of  Poland.  As  he  had  been 
brought  up  at  a  distance  from  Court,  we  had  hitherto 
known  very  little  of  each  other,  and  kept  ourselves 
at  a  distance.  Now  that  he  had  made  the  first  ad- 
vances, in  so  respectful  and  affectionate  a  manner,  I 
resolved  to  receive  him  into  a  firm  friendship,  and  to 
interest  myself  in  whatever  concerned  him,  without 
prejudice,  however,  to  the  interests  of  my  good  brother 
King  Charles,  whom  I  loved  more  than  any  one  be- 
sides, and  who  continued  to  entertain  a  great  regard 
for  me,  of  which  he  gave  me  proofs  as  long  as  he 
lived. 

Meanwhile  King  Charles  was  daily  growing  worse, 
and   the   Huguenots   constantly    forming   new   plots. 


46  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

They  were  very  desirous  to  get  my  brother  the  Due 
d'Alen^on  and  the  King  my  husband  away  from 
Court.  I  got  intelligence,  from  time  to  time,  of  their 
designs;  and,  providentially,  the  Queen  my  mother  de- 
feated their  intentions  when  a  day  had  been  fixed  on 
for  the  arrival  of  the  Huguenot  troops  at  St.  Germain. 
To  avoid  this  visit,  we  set  off  the  night  before  for 
Paris,  two  hours  after  midnight,  putting  King  Charles 
in  a  litter,  and  the  Queen  my  mother  taking  my  brother 
and  the  King  my  husband  with  her  in  her  own 
carriage. 

They  did  not  experience  on  this  occasion  such  mild 
treatment  as  they  had  hitherto  done,  for  the  King 
going  to  the  Wood  of  Vincennes,  they  were  not  per- 
mitted to  set  foot  out  of  the  palace.  This  misunder- 
standing was  so  far  from  being  mitigated  by  time, 
that  the  mistrust  and  discontent  were  continually 
increasing,  owing  to  the  insinuations  and  bad  advice 
offered  to  the  King  by  those  who  wished  the  ruin  and 
downfall  of  our  house.  To  such  a  height  had  these 
jealousies  risen  that  the  Marechaux  de  Montmorency 
and  de  Cosse  were  put  under  a  close  arrest,  and  La 
Mole  and  the  Comte  de  Donas  executed.  Matters 
were  now  arrived  at  such  a  pitch  that  commissioners 
were  appointed  from  the  Court  of  Parliament  to  hear 
and  determine  upon  the  case  of  my  brother  and  the 
King  my  husband. 

My  husband,  having  no  counsellor  to  assist  him, 
desired  me  to  draw  up  his  defence  in  such  a  manner 
that  he  might  not  implicate  any  person,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  clear  my  brother  and  himself  from  any 
criminality  of  conduct.  With  God's  help  I  accom- 
plished this  task  to  his  great  satisfaction,  and  to  the 
surprise  of  the  commissioners,  who  did  not  expect  to 
find  them  so  well  prepared  to  justify  themselves. 

As  it  was  apprehended,  after  the  death  of  La  Mole 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  47 

and  the  Comte  de  Donas,  that  their  lives  were  likewise 
in  danger,  I  had  resolved  to  save  them  at  the  hazard 
of  my  own  ruin  with  the  King,  whose  favour  I  en- 
tirely enjoyed  at  that  time.  I  was  suffered  to  pass  to 
and  from  them  in  my  coach,  with  my  women,  who 
were  not  even  required  by  the  guard  to  unmask,  nor 
was  my  coach  ever  searched.  This  being  the  case,  I 
had  intended  to  convey  away  one  of  them  disguised 
in  a  female  habit.  But  the  difficulty  lay  in  settling  be- 
twixt themselves  which  should  remain  behind  in 
prison,  they  being  closely  watched  by  their  guards,  and 
the  escape  of  one  bringing  the  other's  life  into  hazard. 
Thus  they  could  never  agree  upon  the  point,  each  of 
them  wishing  to  be  the  person  I  should  deliver  from 
confinement. 

But  Providence  put  a  period  to  their  imprisonment 
by  a  means  which  proved  very  unfortunate  for  me. 
This  was  no  other  than  the  death  of  King  Charles, 
who  was  the  only  stay  and  support  of  my  life, — a 
brother  from  whose  hands  I  never  received  anything 
but  good;  who,  during  the  persecution  I  underwent  at 
Angers,  through  my  brother  Anjou,  assisted  me  with 
all  his  advice  and  credit.  In  a  word,  when  I  lost  King 
Charles,  I  lost  everything. 


LETTER  VII 

AHTER  this  fatal  event,  which  was  as  unfortunate 
for  France  as  for  me,  we  went  to  Lyons  to 
give  the  meeting  to  the  King  of  Poland,  now 
Henri  III.  of  France.  The  new  King  was  as  much 
governed  by  Le  Guast  as  ever,  and  had  left  this  in- 
triguing, mischievous  man  behind  in  France  to  keep 
his  party  together.  Through  this  man's  insinuations 
he  had  conceived  the  most  confirmed  jealousy  of  my 
brother  Alenc,on.  He  suspected  that  I  was  the  bond 
that  connected  the  King  my  husband  and  my  brother, 
and  that,  to  dissolve  their  union,  it  would  be  necessary 
to  create  a  coolness  between  me  and  my  husband,  and 
to  work  up  a  quarrel  of  rivalship  betwixt  them  both 
by  means  of  Madame  de  Sauves,  whom  they  both  vis- 
ited. This  abominable  plot,  which  proved  the  source 
of  so  much  disquietude  and  unhappiness,  as  well  to 
my  brother  as  myself,  was  as  artfully  conducted  as  it 
was  wickedly  designed. 

Many  have  held  that  God  has  great  personages 
more  immediately  under  his  protection,  and  that 
minds  of  superior  excellence  have  bestowed  on  them 
a  good  genius,  or  secret  intelligencer,  to  apprise  them 
of  good,  or  warn  them  against  evil.  Of  this  number 
I  might  reckon  the  Queen  my  mother,  who  has  had 
frequent  intimations  of  the  kind;  particularly  the 
very  night  before  the  tournament  which  proved  so 
fatal  to  the  King  my  father,  she  dreamed  that  she 
saw  him  wounded  in  the  eye,  as  it  really  happened; 
upon  which  she  awoke,  and  begged  him  not  to  run  a 

48 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  49 

course  that  day,  but  content  himself  with  looking  on. 
Fate  prevented  the  nation  from  enjoying  so  much 
happiness  as  it  would  have  done  had  he  followed  her 
advice.  Whenever  she  lost  a  child,  she  beheld  a  bright 
flame  shining  before  her,  and  would  immediately  cry 
out,  "God  save  my  children!"  well  knowing  it  was 
the  harbinger  of  the  death  of  some  one  of  them,  which 
melancholy  news  was  sure  to  be  confirmed  very  shortly 
after.  During  her  very  dangerous  illness  at  Metz, 
where  she  caught  a  pestilential  fever,  either  from  the 
coal  fires,  or  by  visiting  some  of  the  nunneries  which 
had  been  infected,  and  from  which  she  was  restored  to 
health  and  to  the  kingdom  through  the  great  skill 
and  experience  of  that  modern  ^Esculapius,  M.  de 
Castillan  her  physician — I  say,  during  that  illness,  her 
bed  being  surrounded  by  my  brother  King  Charles, 
my  brother  and  sister  Lorraine,  several  members  of 
the  Council,  besides  many  ladies  and  princesses,  not 
choosing  to  quit  her,  though  without  hopes  of  her 
life,  she  was  heard  to  cry  out,  as  if  she  saw  the 
battle  of  Jarnac :  "  There !  see  how  they  flee !  My 
son,  follow  them  to  victory!  Ah,  my  son  falls!  O 
my  God,  save  him!  See  there!  the  Prince  de  Conde 
is  dead ! "  All  who  were  present  looked  upon  these 
words  as  proceeding  from  her  delirium,  as  she  knew 
that  my  brother  Anjou  was  on  the  point  of  giving 
battle,  and  thought  no  more  of  it.  On  the  night 
following,  M.  de  Losses  brought  the  news  of  the  bat- 
tle; and,  it  being  supposed  that  she  would  be  pleased 
to  hear  of  it,  she  was  awakened,  at  which  she  ap- 
peared to  be  angry,  saying :  "  Did  I  not  know  it 
yesterday  ? "  It  •  was  then  that  those  about  her 
recollected  what  I  have  now  related,  and  concluded 
that  it  was  no  delirium,  but  one  of  those  revelations 
made  by  God  to  great  and  illustrious  persons.  Ancient 
history  furnishes  many  examples  of  the  like  kind 


50  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

amongst  the  pagans,  as  the  apparition  of  Brutus  and 
many  others,  which  I  shall  not  mention,  it  not  being 
my  intention  to  illustrate  these  Memoirs  with  such 
narratives,  but  only  to  relate  the  truth,  and  that  with 
as  much  expedition  as  I  am  able,  that  you  may  be 
the  sooner  in  possession  of  my  story. 

I  am  far  from  supposing  that  I  am  worthy  of  these 
divine  admonitions;  nevertheless,  I  should  accuse  my- 
self of  ingratitude  towards  my  God  for  the  benefits 
I  have  received,  which  I  esteem  myself  obliged  to  ac- 
knowledge whilst  I  live;  and  I  further  believe  myself 
bound  to  bear  testimony  of  his  goodness  and  power, 
and  the  mercies  he  hath  shown  me,  so  that  I  can 
declare  no  extraordinary  accident  ever  befell  me, 
whether  fortunate  or  otherwise,  but  I  received  some 
warning  of  it,  either  by  dream  or  in  some  other  way, 
so  that  I  may  say  with  the  poet — 

"  De  mon  bien,  ou  mon  mal, 
Mon   esprit  m'est   oracle." 

(Whate'er  of  good  or  ill  befell, 
My  mind  was  oracle  to  tell.) 

And  of  this  I  had  a  convincing  proof  on  the  arrival 
of  the  King  of  Poland,  when  the  Queen  my  mother 
went  to  meet  him.  Amidst  the  embraces  and  com- 
pliments of  welcome  in  that  warm  season,  crowded 
as  we  were  together  and  stifling  with  heat,  I  found  a 
universal  shivering  come  over  me,  which  was  plainly 
perceived  by  those  near  me.  It  was  with  difficulty 
I  could  conceal  what  I  felt  when  the  King,  having 
saluted  the  Queen  my  mother,  came  forward  to  salute 
me.  This  secret  intimation  of  what  was  to  happen 
thereafter  made  a  strong  impression  on  my  mind  at 
the  moment,  and  I  thought  of  it  shortly,  after,  when 
I  discovered  that  the  King  had  conceived  a  hatred  of 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  51 

me  through  the  malicious  suggestions  of  Le  Guast, 
who  had  made  him  believe,  since  the  King's  death, 
that  I  espoused  my  brother  Alenqon's  party  during 
his  absence,  and  cemented  a  friendship  betwixt  the 
King  my  husband  and  him. 


LETTER  Vlft 

A  I  opportunity  was  diligently  sought  by  my  ene- 
mies to  effect  their  design  of  bringing  about  a 
misunderstanding  betwixt  my  brother  Alengon, 
the  King  my  husband,  and  me,  by  creating  a  jealousy 
of  me  in  my  husband,  and  in  my  brother  and  hus- 
band, on  account  of  their  mutual  love  for  Madame  de 
Sauves. 

One  afternoon,  the  Queen  my  mother  having  retired 
to  her  closet  to  finish  some  despatches  which  were 
likely  to  detain  her  there  for  some  time,  Madame  de 
Nevers,  your  kinswoman,  Madame  de  Rais,  another 
of  your  relations,  Bourdeille,  and  Surgeres  asked  me 
whether  I  would  not  wish  to  see  a  little  of  the  city. 
Whereupon  Mademoiselle  de  Montigny,  the  niece  of 
Madame  Usez,  observing  to  us  that  the  Abbey  of 
St.  Pierre  was  a  beautiful  convent,  we  all  resolved 
to  visit  it.  She  then  begged  to  go  with  us,  as  she 
said  she  had  an  aunt  in  that  convent,  and  as  it  was 
not  easy  to  gain  admission  into  it,  except  in  the  com- 
pany of  persons  of  distinction.  Accordingly,  she  went 
with  us;  and  there  being  six  of  us,  the  carriage  was 
crowded.  Over  and  above  those  I  have  mentioned, 
there  was  Madame  de  Curton,  the  lady  of  my  bed- 
chamber, who  always  attended  me.  Liancourt,  first 
esquire  to  the  King,  and  Camille  placed  themselves 
on  the  steps  of  Torigni's  carriage,  supporting  them- 
selves as  well  as  they  were  able,  making  themselves 
merry  on  the  occasion,  and  saying  they  would  go  and 
see  the  handsome  nuns,  too.  I  look  upon  it  as  ordered 
by  Divine  Providence  that  I  should  have  Mademoiselle 

52 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  53 

de  Montigny  with  me,  who  was  not  well  acquainted 
with  any  lady  of  the  company,  and  that  the  two 
gentlemen  just  mentioned,  who  were  in  the  confidence 
of  King  Henri,  should  likewise  be  of  the  party,  as 
they  were  able  to  clear  me  of  the  calumny  intended 
to  be  fixed  upon  me. 

Whilst  we  were  viewing  the  convent,  my  carriage 
waited  for  us  in  the  square.  In  the  square  many  gen- 
tlemen belonging  to  the  Court  had  their  lodgings. 
My  carriage  was  easily  to  be  distinguished,  as  it  was 
gilt  and  lined  with  yellow  velvet  trimmed  with  silver. 
We  had  not  come  out  of  the  convent  when  the  King 
passed  through  the  square  on  his  way  to  see  Quelus, 
who  was  then  sick.  He  had  with  him  the  King  my 
husband,  D'O ,  and  the  fat  fellow  Ruffe. 

The  King,  observing  no  one  in  my  carriage,  turned 
to  my  husband  and  said :  "  There  is  your  wife's  coach, 
and  that  is  the  house  where  Bide  lodges.  Bide  is 
sick,  and  I  will  engage  my  word  she  is  gone  upon  a 
visit  to  him.  Go,"  said  he  to  Ruffe,  "  and  see  whether 
she  is  not  there."  In  saying  this,  the  King  addressed 
himself  to  a  proper  tool  for  his  malicious  purpose,  for 
this  fellow  Ruffe  was  entirely  devoted  to  Le  Guast. 
I  need  not  tell  you  he  did  not  find  me  there;  how- 
ever, knowing  the  King's  intention,  he,  to  favour  it, 
said  loud  enough  for  the  King  my  husband  to  hear 
him :  "  The  birds  have  been  there,  but  they  are  now 
flown."  This  furnished  sufficient  matter  for  conver- 
sation until  they  reached  home. 

Upon  this  occasion,  the  King  my  husband  displayed 
all  the  good  sense  and  generosity  of  temper  for  which 
he  is  remarkable.  He  saw  through  the  design,  and 
he  despised  the  maliciousness  of  it.  The  King  my 
brother  was  anxious  to  see  the  Queen  my  mother 
before  me,  to  whom  he  imparted  the  pretended  dis- 
covery, and  she,  whether  to  please  a  son  on  whom  she 


54  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

doted,  or  whether  she  really  gave  credit  to  the  story, 
had  related  it  to  some  ladies  with  much  seeming 
anger. 

Soon  afterwards  I  returned  with  the  ladies  who 
had  accompanied  me  to  St.  Pierre's,  entirely  igno- 
rant of  what  had  happened.  I  found  the  King  my 
husband  in  our  apartments,  who  began  to  laugh  on 
seeing  me,  and  said :  "  Go  immediately  to  the  Queen 
your  mother,  but  I  promise  you  you  will  not  return 
very  well  pleased."  I  asked  him  the  reason,  and 
what  had  happened.  He  answered :  "  I  shall  tell  you 
nothing;  but  Be  assured  of  this,  that  I  do  not  give  the 
least  credit  to  the  story,  which  I  plainly  perceive  to 
be  fabricated  in  order  to  stir  up  a  difference  betwixt 
us  two,  and  break  off  the  friendly  intercourse  between 
your  brother  and  me." 

Finding  I  could  get  no  further  information  on  the 
subject  from  him,  I  went  to  the  apartment  of  the 
Queen  my  mother.  I  met  M.  de  Guise  in  the  ante- 
chamber, who  was  not  displeased  at  the  prospect  of  a 
dissension  in  our  family,  hoping  that  he  might  make 
some  advantage  of  it.  He  addressed  me  in  these 
words :  "  I  waited  here  expecting  to  see  you,  in  order 
to  inform  you  that  some  ill  office  has  been  done  you 
with  the  Queen."  He  then  told  me  the  story  he  had 

learned  of  D'O ,  who,  being  intimate  with  your 

kinswoman,  had  informed  M.  de  Guise  of  it,  that  he 
might  apprise  us. 

I  went  into  the  Queen's  bedchamber,  but  did  not 
find  my  mother  there.  However,  I  saw  Madame 
de  Nemours,  the  rest  of  the  princesses,  and  other 
ladies,  who  all  exclaimed  on  seeing  me :  "  Good 
God!  the  Queen  your  mother  is  in  such  a  rage;  we 
would  advise  you,  for  the  present,  to  keep  out  of  her 
sight." 

"  Yes,"  said  I,  "  so  I  would,  had  I  been  guilty  of 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  55 

what  the  King  has  reported;  but  I  assure  you  all  I 
am  entirely  innocent,  and  must  therefore  speak  with 
her  and  clear  myself." 

I  then  went  into  her  closet,  which  was  separated 
from  the  bedchamber  by  a  slight  partition  only,  so 
that  our  whole  conversation  could  be  distinctly  heard. 
She  no  sooner  set  eyes  upon  me  than  she  flew  into  a 
great  passion,  and  said  everything  that  the  fury  of 
her  resentment  suggested.  I  related  to  her  the  whole 
truth,  and  begged  to  refer  her  to  the  company  which 
attended  me,  to  the  number  of  ten  or  twelve  persons, 
desiring  her  not  to  rely  on  the  testimony  of  those  more 
immediately  about  me,  but  examine  Mademoiselle 
Montigny,  who  did  not  belong  to  me,  and  Liancourt 
and  Camille,  who  were  the  King's  servants. 

She  would  not  hear  a  word  I  had  to  offer,  but  con- 
tinued to  rate  me  in  a  furious  manner;  whether  it 
was  through  fear,  or  affection  for  her  son,  or  whether 
she  believed  the  story  in  earnest,  I  know  not.  When 
I  observed  to  her  that  I  understood  the  King  had 
done  me  this  ill  office  in  her  opinion,  her  anger 
was  redoubled,  and  she  endeavoured  to  make  me  be- 
lieve that  she  had  been  informed  of  the  circumstance 
by  one  of  her  own  valets  de  chambre,  who  had  him- 
self seen  me  at  the  place.  Perceiving  that  I  gave  no 
credit  to  this  account  of  the  matter,  she  became  more 
and  more  incensed  against  me. 

All  that  was  said  was  perfectly  heard  by  those  in 
the  next  room.  At  length  I  left  her  closet,  much 
chagrined;  and  returning  to  my  own  apartments,  I 
found  the  King  my  husband  there,  who  said  to  me: 
"  Well,  was  it  not  as  I  told  you  ?  " 

He,  seeing  me  under  great  concern,  desired  me  not 
to  grieve  about  it,  adding  that  "  Liancourt  and  Camille 
would  attend  the  King  that  night  in  his  bedchamber, 
and  relate  the  affair  as  it  really  was;  and  to-morrow," 


56  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

continued  he,  "  the  Queen  your  mother  will  receive 
you  in  a  very  different  manner." 

"  But,  monsieur,"  I  replied,  "  I  have  received  too 
gross  an  affront  in  public  to  forgive  those  who  were 
the  occasion  of  it;  but  that  is  nothing  when  compared 
with  the  malicious  intention  of  causing  so  heavy  a  mis- 
fortune to  befall  me  as  to  create  a  variance  betwixt 
you  and  me." 

"  But,"  said  he,  "  God  be  thanked,  they  have  failed 
in  it." 

"  For  that,"  answered  I,  "  I  am  the  more  beholden 
to  God  and  your  amiable  disposition.  However,"  con- 
tinued I,  "  we  may  derive  this  good  from  it,  that  it 
ought  to  be  a  warning  to  us  to  put  ourselves  upon  our 
guard  against  the  King's  stratagems  to  bring  about 
a  disunion  betwixt  you  and  my  brother,  by  causing  a 
rupture  betwixt  you  and  me." 

Whilst  I  was  saying  this,  my  brother  entered  the 
apartment,  and  I  made  them  renew  their  protestations 
of  friendship.  But  what  oaths  or  promises  can  pre- 
vail against  love!  This  will  appear  more  fully  in  the 
sequel  of  my  story. 

An  Italian  banker,  who  had  concerns  with  my 
brother,  came  to  him  the  next  morning,  and  invited 
him,  the  King  my  husband,  myself,  the  princesses, 
and  other  ladies,  to  partake  of  an  entertainment  in 
a  garden  belonging  to  him.  Having  made  it  a  con- 
stant rule,  before  and  after  I  married,  as  long  as  I 
remained  in  the  Court  of  the  Queen  my  mother,  to 
go  to  no  place  without  her  permission,  I  waited  on 
her,  at  her  return  from  mass,  and  asked  leave  to  be 
present  at  this  banquet.  She  refused  to  give  any  leave, 
and  said  she  did  not  care  where  I  went.  I  leave  you 
to  judge,  who  know  my  temper,  whether  I  was  not 
greatly  mortified  at  this  rebuff. 

Whilst  we  were  enjoying  this  entertainment,  the 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  57 

King,  having  spoken  with  Liancourt,  Camille,  and 
Mademoiselle  Montigny,  was  apprised  of  the  mis- 
take which  the  malice  or  misapprehension  of  Ruffe 
had  led  him  into.  Accordingly,  he  went  to  the  Queen 
my  mother  and  related  the  whole  truth,  entreating  her 
to  remove  any  ill  impressions  that  might  remain  with 
me,  as  he  perceived  that  I  was  not  deficient  in  point 
of  understanding,  and  feared  that  I  might  be  induced 
to  engage  in  some  plan  of  revenge. 

When  I  returned  from  the  banquet  before  men- 
tioned, I  found  that  what  the  King  my  husband 
had  foretold  was  come  to  pass;  for  the  Queen  my 
mother  sent  for  me  into  her  back  closet,  which  was 
adjoining  the  King's,  and  told  me  that  she  was  now 
acquainted  with  the  truth,  and  found  I  had  not  de- 
ceived her  with  a  false  story.  She  had  discovered,  she 
said,  that  there  was  not  the  least  foundation  for  the 
report  her  valet  de  chambre  had  made,  and  should 
dismiss  him  from  her  service  as  a  bad  man.  As  she 
perceived  by  my  looks  that  I  saw  through  this  dis- 
guise, she  said  everything  she  could  think  of  to  per- 
suade me  to  a  belief  that  the  King  had  not  mentioned 
it  to  her.  She  continued  her  arguments,  and  I  still 
appeared  incredulous.  At  length  the  King  entered 
the  closet,  and  made  many  apologies,  declaring  he 
had  been  imposed  on,  and  assuring  me  of  his  most 
cordial  friendship  and  esteem;  and  thus  matters  were 
set  to  rights  again. 


LETTER  IX 

A'TER  staying  some  time  at  Lyons,  we  went  to 
Avignon.  Le  Guast,  not  daring  to  hazard  any 
fresh  imposture,  and  finding  that  my  conduct 
afforded  no  ground  for  jealousy  on  the  part  of  my 
husband,  plainly  perceived  that  he  could  not,  by  that 
means,  bring  about  a  misunderstanding  betwixt  my 
brother  and  the  King  my  husband.  He  therefore  re- 
solved to  try  what  he  could  effect  through  Madame  de 
Sauves.  In  order  to  do  this,  he  obtained  such  an  in- 
fluence over  her  that  she  acted  entirely  as  he  directed; 
insomuch  that,  by  his  artful  instructions,  the  passion 
which  these  young  men  had  conceived,  hitherto  wav- 
ering and  cold,  as  is  generally  the  case  at  their  time 
of  life,  became  of  a  sudden  so  violent  that  ambition 
and  every  obligation  of  duty  were  at  once  absorbed 
by  their  attentions  to  this  woman. 

This  occasioned  such  a  jealousy  betwixt  them  that, 
though  her  favours  were  divided  with  M.  de  Guise, 
Le  Guast,  De  Souvray,  and  others,  any  one  of  whom 
she  preferred  to  the  brothers-in-law,  such  was  the  in- 
fatuation of  these  last,  that  each  considered  the  other 
as  his  only  rival. 

To  carry  on  De  Guast's  sinister  designs,  this 
woman  persuaded  the  King  my  husband  that  I  was 
jealous  of  her,  and  on  that  account  it  was  that  I 
joined  with  my  brother.  As  we  are  ready  to  give  ear 
and  credit  to  those  we  love,  he  believed  all  she  said. 
From  this  time  he  became  distant  and  reserved 
towards  me,  shunning  my  presence  as  much  as  pos- 
sible; whereas,  before,  he  was  open  and  communi- 

58 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  59 

cative  to  me  as  to  a  sister,  well  knowing  that  I  yielded 
to  his  pleasure  in  all  things,  and  was  far  from 
harbouring  jealousy  of  any  kind. 

What  I  had  dreaded,  I  now  perceived  had  come  to 
pass.  This  was  the  loss  of  his  favour  and  good 
opinion;  to  preserve  which  I  had  studied  to  gain  his 
confidence  by  a  ready  compliance  with  his  wishes, 
well  knowing  that  mistrust  is  the  sure  forerunner  of 
hatred. 

I  now  turned  my  mind  to  an  endeavour  to  wean 
my  brother's  affection  from  Madame  de  Sauves,  in 
order  to  counterplot  Le  Guast  in  his  design  to  bring 
about  a  division,  and  thereby  to  effect  our  ruin.  I 
used  every  means  with  my  brother  to  divert  his 
passion;  but  the  fascination  was  too  strong,  and  my 
pains  proved  ineffectual.  In  anything  else,  my  brother 
would  have  suffered  himself  to  be  ruled  by  me;  but 
the  charms  of  this  Circe,  aided  by  that  sorcerer,  Le 
Guast,  were  too  powerful  to  be  dissolved  by  my  advice. 
So  far  was  he  from  profiting  by  my  counsel  that  he 
was  weak  enough  to  communicate  it  to  her.  So  blind 
are  lovers! 

Her  vengeance  was  excited  by  this  communication, 
and  she  now  entered  more  fully  into  the  designs  of 
Le  Guast.  In  consequence,  she  used  all  her  art  to 
make  the  King  my  husband  conceive  an  aversion  for 
me;  insomuch  that  he  scarcely  ever  spoke  with  me. 
He  left  her  late  at  night,  and,  to  prevent  our  meeting 
in  the  morning,  she  directed  him  to  come  to  her  at 
the  Queen's  levee,  which  she  duly  attended;  after 
which  he  passed  the  rest  of  the  day  with  her.  My 
brother  likewise  followed  her  with  the  greatest  assidu- 
ity, and  she  had  the  artifice  to  make  each  of  them 
think  that  he  alone  had  any  place  in  her  esteem. 
Thus  was  a  jealousy  kept  up  betwixt  them,  and,  in 
consequence,  disunion  and  mutual  ruin! 


60  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

We  made  a  considerable  stay  at  Avignon,  whence 
we  proceeded  through  Burgundy  and  Champagne  to 
Rheims,  where  the  King's  marriage  was  celebrated. 
From  Rheims  we  came  to  Paris,  things  going  on  in 
their  usual  train,  and  Le  Guast  prosecuting  his  de- 
signs with  all  the  success  he  could  wish.  At  Paris  my 
brother  was  joined  by  Bussi,  whom  he  received  with 
all  the  favour  which  his  bravery  merited.  He  was 
inseparable  from  my  brother,  in  consequence  of  which 
I  frequently  saw  him,  for  my  brother  and  I  were 
always  together,  his  household  being  equally  at  my 
devotion  as  if  it  were  my  own.  Your  aunt,  remark- 
ing this  harmony  betwixt  us,  has  often  told  me  that 
it  called  to  her  recollection  the  times  of  my  uncle, 
M.  d'Orleans,  and  my  aunt,  Madame  de  Savoie. 

Le  Guast  thought  this  a  favourable  circumstance 
to  complete  his  design.  Accordingly,  he  suggested  to 
Madame  de  Sauves  to  make  my  husband  believe  that 
it  was  on  account  of  Bussi  that  I  frequented  my 
brother's  apartments  so  constantly. 

The  King  my  husband,  being  fully  informed  of  all 
my  proceedings  from  persons  in  his  service  who 
attended  me  everywhere,  could  not  be  induced  to  lend 
an  ear  to  this  story.  Le  Guast,  finding  himself  foiled 
in  this  quarter,  applied  to  the  King,  who  was  well 
inclined  to  listen  to  the  tale,  on  account  of  his  dislike 
to  my  brother  and  me,  whose  friendship  for  each  other 
was  unpleasing  to  him. 

Besides  this,  he  was  incensed  against  Bussi,  who, 
being  formerly  attached  to  him,  had  now  devoted  him- 
self wholly  to  my  brother, — an  acquisition  which,  on 
account  of  the  celebrity  of  Bussi's  fame  for  parts  and 
valour,  redounded  greatly  to  my  brother's  honour, 
whilst  it  increased  the  malice  and  envy  of  his  enemies. 

The  King,  thus  worked  upon  by  Le  Guast,  men- 
tioned it  to  the  Queen  my  mother,  thinking  it  would 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  61 

have  the  same  effect  on  her  as  the  tale  which  was 
trumped  up  at  Lyons.  But  she,  seeing  through  the 
whole  design,  showed  him  the  improbability  of  the 
story,  adding  that  he  must  have  some  wicked  people 
about  him,  who  could  put  such  notions  in  his  head, 
observing  that  I  was  very  unfortunate  to  have  fallen 
upon  such  evil  times.  "  In  my  younger  days,"  said 
phe,  "  we  were  allowed  to  converse  freely  with  all  the 
gentlemen  who  belonged  to  the  King  our  father, 
the  Dauphin,  and  M.  d'Orleans,  your  uncles.  It  was 
common  for  them  to  assemble  in  the  bedchamber  of 
Madame  Marguerite,  your  aunt,  as  well  as  in  mine, 
and  nothing  was  thought  of  it.  Neither  ought  it  to 
appear  strange  that  Bussi  sees  my  daughter  in  the 
presence  of  her  husband's  servants.  They  are  not 
shut  up  together.  Bussi  is  a  person  of  quality,  and 
holds  the  first  place  in  your  brother's  family.  What 
grounds  are  there  for  such  a  calumny?  At  Lyons 
you  caused  me  to  offer  her  an  affront,  which  I  fear 
she  will  never  forget." 

The  King  was  astonished  to  hear  his  mother  talk 
in  this  manner,  and  interrupted  her  with  saying: 
"  Madame,  I  only  relate  what  I  have  heard." 

"  But  who  is  it,"  answered  she,  "  that  tells  you  all 
this?  I  fear  no  one  that  intends  you  any  good,  but 
rather  one  that  wishes  to  create  divisions  amongst 
you  all." 

As  soon  as  the  King  had  left  her  she  told  me  all 
that  had  passed,  and  said :  "  You  are  unfortunate  to 
live  in  these  times."  Then  calling  your  aunt,  Madame 
de  Dampierre,  they  entered  into  a  discourse  concern- 
ing the  pleasures  and  innocent  freedoms  of  the  times 
they  had  seen,  when  scandal  and  malevolence  were 
unknown  at  Court. 

Le  Guast,  finding  this  plot  miscarry,  was  not  long 
in  contriving  another.  He  addressed  himself  for  this 


62  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

purpose  to  certain  gentlemen  who  attended  the  King 
my  husband.  These  had  been  formerly  the  friends 
of  Bussi,  but,  envying  the  glory  he  had  obtained, 
were  now  become  his  enemies.  Under  the  mask  of 
zeal  for  their  master,  they  disguised  the  envy  which 
they  harboured  in  their  breasts.  They  entered  into  a 
design  of  assassinating  Bussi  as  he  left  my  brother  to 
go  to  his  own  lodgings,  which  was  generally  at  a  late 
hour.  They  knew  that  he  was  always  accompanied 
home  by  fifteen  or  sixteen  gentlemen,  belonging  to 
my  brother,  and  that,  notwithstanding  he  wore  no 
sword,  having  been  lately  wounded  in  the  right  arm, 
his  presence  was  sufficient  to  inspire  the  rest  with 
courage. 

In  order,  therefore,  to  make  sure  work,  they  re- 
solved on  attacking  him  with  two  or  three  hundred 
men,  thinking  that  night  would  throw  a  veil  over  the 
disgrace  of  such  an  assassination. 

Le  Guast,  who  commanded  a  regiment  of  guards, 
furnished  the  requisite  number  of  men,  whom  he  dis- 
posed in  five  or  six  divisions,  in  the  street  through 
which  he  was  to  pass.  Their  orders  were  to  put  out 
the  torches  and  -flambeaux:,  and  then  to  fire  their  pieces, 
after  which  they  were  to  charge  his  company,  observ- 
ing particularly  to  attack  one  who  had  his  right  arm 
slung  in  a  scarf. 

Fortunately  they  escaped  the  intended  massacre, 
and,  fighting  their  way  through,  reached  Bussi's  lodg- 
ings, one  gentleman  only  being  killed,  who  was  par- 
ticularly attached  to  M.  de  Bussi,  and  who  was 
probably  mistaken  for  him,  as  he  had  his  arm  likewise 
slung  in  a  scarf. 

An  Italian  gentleman,  who  belonged  to  my  brother, 
left  them  at  the  beginning  of  the  attack,  and  came 
running  back  to  the  Louvre.  As  soon  as  he  reached 
my  brother's  chamber  door,  he  cried  out  aloud: 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  63 

"  Bussi  is  assassinated !  "  My  brother  was  going  out, 
but  I,  hearing  the  cry  of  assassination,  left  my  cham- 
ber, by  good  fortune  not  being  undressed,  and  stopped 
my  brother.  I  then  sent  for  the  Queen  my  mother  to 
come  with  all  haste  in  order  to  prevent  him  from  go- 
ing out,  as  he  was  resolved  to  do,  regardless  of  what 
might  happen.  It  was  with  difficulty  we  could  stay 
him,  though  the  Queen  my  mother  represented  the 
hazard  he  ran  from  the  darkness  of  the  night,  and 
his  ignorance  of  the  nature  of  the  attack,  which  might 
have  been  purposely  designed  by  Le  Guast  to  take 
away  his  life.  Her  entreaties  and  persuasions  would 
have  been  of  little  avail  if  she  had  not  used  her  au- 
thority to  order  all  the  doors  to  be  barred,  and  taken 
the  resolution  of  remaining  where  she  was  until  she 
had  learned  what  had  really  happened. 

Bussi,  whom  God  had  thus  miraculously  preserved, 
with  that  presence  of  mind  which  he  was  so  remark- 
able for  in  time  of  battle  and  the  most  imminent  dan- 
ger, considering  within  himself  when  he  reached  home 
the  anxiety  of  his  master's  mind  should  he  have  re- 
ceived any  false  report,  and  fearing  he  might  expose 
himself  to  hazard  upon  the  first  alarm  being  given 
(which  certainly  would  have  been  the  case,  if  my 
mother  had  not  interfered  and  prevented  it),  immedi- 
ately despatched  one  of  his  people  to  let  him  know 
every  circumstance. 

The  next  day  Bussi  showed  himself  at  the  Louvre 
without  the  least  dread  of  enemies,  as  if  what  had 
happened  had  been  merely  the  attack  of  a  tourna- 
ment. My  brother  exhibited  much  pleasure  at  the 
sight  of  Bussi,  but  expressed  great  resentment  at  such 
a  daring  attempt  to  deprive  him  of  so  brave  and  valu- 
able a  servant,  a  man  whom  Le  Guast  durst  not  attack 
in  any  other  way  than  by  a  base  assassination. 


LETTER  X 

THE  Queen  my  mother,  a  woman  endowed  with 
the  greatest  prudence  and  foresight  of  any  one 
I  ever  knew,  apprehensive  of  evil  consequences 
from  this  affair,  and  fearing  a  dissension  betwixt  her 
two  sons,  advised  my  brother  to  fall  upon  some  pre- 
tence for  sending  Bussi  away  from  Court.  In  this 
advice  I  joined  her,  and  through  our  united  counsel 
and  request,  my  brother  was  prevailed  upon  to  give 
his  consent.  I  had  every  reason  to  suppose  that  Le 
Guast  would  take  advantage  of  the  rencounter  to  fo- 
ment the  coolness  which  already  existed  betwixt  my 
brother  and  the  King  my  husband  into  an  open  rup- 
ture. Bussi,  who  implicitly  followed  my  brother's 
directions  in  everything,  departed  with  a  company  of 
the  bravest  noblemen  that  were  about  the  latter's 
person. 

Bussi  was  now  removed  from  the  machinations  of 
Le  Guast,  who  likewise  failed  in  accomplishing  a 
design  he  had  long  projected, — to  disunite  the  King 
my  husband  and  me. 

One  night  my  husband  was  attacked  with  a  fit,  and 
continued  insensible  for  the  space  of  an  hour, — occa- 
sioned, I  supposed,  by  his  excesses  with  women,  for  I 
never  knew  anything  of  the  kind  to  happen  to  him 
before.  However,  as  it  was  my  duty  so  to  do,  I 
attended  him  with  so  much  care  and  assiduity  that, 
when  he  recovered,  he  spoke  of  it  to  every  one,  declar- 
ing that,  if  I  had  not  perceived  his  indisposition  and 
called  for  the  help  of  my  women,  he  should  not  have 
survived  the  fit. 

64 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  65 

From  this  time  he  treated  me  with  more  kindness, 
and  the  cordiality  betwixt  my  brother  and  him  was 
again  revived,  as  if  I  had  been  the  point  of  union  at 
which  they  were  to  meet,  or  the  cement  that  joined 
them  together. 

Le  Guast  was  now  at  his  wit's  end  for  some  fresh 
contrivance  to  breed  disunion  in  the  Court. 

He  had  lately  persuaded  the  King  to  remove  from 
about  the  person  of  the  Queen-consort,  a  princess  of 
the  greatest  virtue  and  most  amiable  qualities,  a 
female  attendant  of  the  name  of  Changi,  for  whom  the 
Queen  entertained  a  particular  esteem,  as  having  been 
brought  up  with  her.  Being  successful  in  this  meas- 
ure, he  now  thought  of  making  the  King  my  husband 
send  away  Torigni,  whom  I  greatly  regarded. 

The  argument  he  used  with  the  King  was,  that 
young  princesses  ought  to  have  no  favourites  about 
them. 

The  King,  yielding  to  this  man's  persuasions,  spoke 
of  it  to  my  husband,  who  observed  that  it  would  be  a 
matter  that  would  greatly  distress  me;  that  if  I  had 
an  esteem  for  Torigni  it  was  not  without  cause,  as  she 
had  been  brought  up  with  the  Queen  of  Spain  and 
me  from  our  infancy;  that,  moreover,  Torigni  was  a 
young  lady  of  good  understanding,  and  had  been  of 
great  use  to  him  during  his  confinement  at  Vincennes; 
that  it  would  be  the  greatest  ingratitude  in  him  to 
overlook  services  of  such  a  nature,  and  that  he  remem- 
bered well  when  his  Majesty  had  expressed  the  same 
sentiments. 

Thus  did  he  defend  himself  against  the  performance 
of  so  ungrateful  an  action.  However,  the  King  lis- 
tened only  to  the  arguments  of  Le  Guast,  and  told 
my  husband  that  he  should  have  no  more  love  for 
him  if  he  did  not  remove  Torigni  from  about  me  the 
very  next  morning. 


66  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

He  was  forced  to  comply,  greatly  contrary  to  his 
will,  and,  as  he  has  since  declared  to  me,  with  much 
regret.  Joining  entreaties  to  commands,  he  laid  his 
injunctions  on  me  accordingly. 

How  displeasing  this  separation  was  I  plainly  dis- 
covered by  the  many  tears  I  shed  on  receiving  his 
orders.  It  was  in  vain  to  represent  to  him  the  injury 
done  to  my  character  by  the  sudden  removal  of  one 
who  had  been  with  me  from  my  earliest  years,  and 
was  so  greatly  in  my  esteem  and  confidence;  he  could 
not  give  an  ear  to  my  reasons,  being  firmly  bound  by 
the  promise  he  had  made  to  the  King. 

Accordingly,  Torigni  left  me  that  very  day,  and 
went  to  the  house  of  a  relation,  M.  Chastelas.  I  was 
so  greatly  offended  with  this  fresh  indignity,  after  so 
many  of  the  kind  formerly  received,  that  I  could  not 
help  yielding  to  resentment;  and  my  grief  and  con- 
cern getting  the  upper  hand  of  my  prudence,  I  ex- 
hibited a  great  coolness  and  indifference  towards  my 
husband.  Le  Guast  and  Madame  de  Sauves  were 
successful  in  creating  a  like  indifference  on  his  part, 
which,  coinciding  with  mine,  separated  us  altogether, 
and  we  neither  spoke  to  each  other  nor  slept  in  the 
same  bed. 

A  few  days  after  this,  some  faithful  servants  about 
the  person  of  the  King  my  husband  remarked  to  him 
the  plot  which  had  been  concerted  with  so  much  arti- 
fice to  lead  him  to  his  ruin,  by  creating  a  division, 
first  betwixt  him  and  my  brother,  and  next  betwixt 
him  and  me,  thereby  separating  him  from  those  in 
whom  only  he  could  hope  for  his  principal  support. 
They  observed  to  him  that  already  matters  were 
brought  to  such  a  pass  that  the  King  showed  little 
regard  for  him,  and  even  appeared  to  despise  him. 

They  afterwards  addressed  themselves  to  my 
brother,  whose  situation  was  not  in  the  least  mended 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  67 

since  the  departure  of  Bussi,  Le  Guast  causing  fresh 
indignities  to  be  offered  him  daily.  They  represented 
to  him  that  the  King  my  husband  and  he  were  both 
circumstanced  alike,  and  equally  in  disgrace,  as  Le 
Guast  had  everything  under  his  direction;  so  that 
both  of  them  were  under  the  necessity  of  soliciting, 
through  him,  any  favours  which  they  might  want 
of  the  King,  and  which,  when  demanded,  were  con- 
stantly refused  them  with  great  contempt.  Moreover, 
it  was  become  dangerous  to  offer  them  service,  as  it 
was  inevitable  ruin  for  any  one  to  do  so. 

"  Since,  then,"  said  they,  "  your  dissensions  appear 
to  be  so  likely  to  prove  fatal  to  both,  it  would  be 
advisable  in  you  both  to  unite  and  come  to  a  deter- 
mination of  leaving  the  Court;  and,  after  collecting 
together  your  friends  and  servants,  to  require  from 
the  King  an  establishment  suitable  to  your  ranks." 
They  observed  to  my  brother  that  he  had  never  yet 
been  put  in  possession  of  his  appanage,  and  received 
for  his  subsistence  only  some  certain  allowances,  which 
were  not  regularly  paid  him,  as  they  passed  through 
the  hands  of  Le  Guast,  and  were  at  his  disposal,  to 
be  discharged  or  kept  back,  as  he  judged  proper. 
They  concluded  with  observing  that,  with  regard  to 
the  King  my  husband,  the  government  of  Guyenne 
was  taken  out  of  his  hands;  neither  was  he  permitted 
to  visit  that  or  any  other  of  his  dominions. 

It  was  hereupon  resolved  to  pursue  the  counsel  now 
given,  and  that  the  King  my  husband  and  my  brother 
should  immediately  withdraw  themselves  from  Court. 
My  brother  made  me  acquainted  with  this  resolution, 
observing  to  me,  as  my  husband  and  he  were  now 
friends  again,  that  I  ought  to  forget  all  that  had 
passed;  that  my  husband  had  declared  to  him  that 
he  was  sorry  things  had  so  happened,  that  we  had 
been  outwitted  by  our  enemies,  but  that  he  was  re- 
Memoirs — 3  Vol.  1 


68  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

solved,  from  henceforward,  to  show  me  every  atten- 
tion and  give  me  every  proof  of  his  love  and  esteem, 
and  he  concluded  with  begging  me  to  make  my  hus- 
band every  show  of  affection,  and  to  be  watchful  for 
their  interest  during  their  absence. 

It  was  concerted  betwixt  them  that  my  brother 
should  depart  first,  making  off  in  a  carriage  in  the 
best  manner  he  could;  that,  in  a  few  days  afterwards, 
the  King  my  husband  should  follow,  under  pretence 
of  going  on  a  hunting  party.  They  both  expressed 
their  concern  that  they  could  not  take  me  with  them, 
assuring  me  that  I  had  no  occasion  to  have  any  appre- 
hensions, as  it  would  soon  appear  that  they  had  no 
design  to  disturb  the  peace  of  the  kingdom,  but 
merely  to  ensure  the  safety  of  their  own  persons,  and 
to  settle  their  establishments.  In  short,  it  might  well 
be  supposed  that,  in  their  present  situation,  they  had 
reason  to  apprehend  danger  to  themselves  from  such 
as  had  evil  designs  against  their  family. 

Accordingly,  as  soon  as  it  was  dusk  and  before 
the  King's  supper-time,  my  brother  changed  his  cloak, 
and  concealing  the  lower  part  of  his  face  to  his  nose 
in  it,  left  the  palace,  attended  by  a  servant  who  was 
little  known,  and  went  on  foot  to  the  gate  of  St.  Ho- 
nore,  where  he  found  Simier  waiting  for  him  in  a 
coach,  borrowed  of  a  lady  for  the  purpose. 

My  brother  threw  himself  into  it,  and  went  to  a 
house  about  a  quarter  of  a  league  out  of  Paris,  where 
horses  were  stationed  ready;  and  at  the  distance  of 
about  a  league  farther,  he  joined  a  party  of  two  or 
three  hundred  horsemen  of  his  servants,  who  were 
awaiting  his  coming.  My  brother  was  not  missed  till 
nine  o'clock,  when  the  King  and  the  Queen  my  mother 
asked  me  the  reason  he  did  not  come  to  sup  with 
them  as  usual,  and  if  I  knew  of  his  being  indisposed. 
I  told  them  I  had  not  seen  him  since  noon.  There- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  69 

upon  they  sent  to  his  apartments.  Word  was  brought 
back  that  he  was  not  there.  Orders  were  then  given 
to  inquire  at  the  apartments  of  the  ladies  whom  he 
was  accustomed  to  visit.  He  was  nowhere  to  be 
found.  There  was  now  a  general  alarm.  The  King 
flew  into  a  great  passion,  and  began  to  threaten  me. 
He  then  sent  for  all  the  Princes  and  the  great  officers 
of  the  Court;  and  giving  orders  for  a  pursuit  to  be 
made,  and  to  bring  him  back,  dead  or  alive,  cried  out : 
"He  is  gone  to  make  war  against  me;  but  I  will 
show  him  what  it  is  to  contend  with  a  king  of  my 
power." 

Many  of  the  Princes  and  officers  of  State  remon- 
strated against  these  orders,  which  they  observed 
ought  to  be  well  weighed.  They  said  that,  as  their 
duty  directed,  they  were  willing  to  venture  their  lives 
in  the  King's  service;  but  to  act  against  his  brother 
they  were  certain  would  not  be  pleasing  to  the  King 
himself;  that  they  were  well  convinced  his  brother 
would  undertake  nothing  that  should  give  his  Majesty 
displeasure,  or  be  productive  of  danger  to  the  realm; 
that  perhaps  his  leaving  the  Court  was  owing  to  some 
disgust,  which  it  would  be  more  advisable  to  send 
and  inquire  into.  Others,  on  the  contrary,  were  for 
putting  the  King's  orders  into  execution;  but,  what- 
ever expedition  they  could  use,  it  was  day  before 
they  set  off;  and  as  it  was  then  too  late  to  overtake 
my  brother,  they  returned,  being  only  equipped  for 
the  pursuit. 

I  was  in  tears  the  whole  night  of  my  brother's  de- 
parture, and  the  next  day  was  seized  with  a  violent 
cold,  which  was  succeeded  by  a  fever  that  confined 
me  to  my  bed. 

Meanwhile  my  husband  was  preparing  for  his  de- 
parture, which  took  up  all  the  time  he  could  spare 
from  his  visits  to  Madame  de  Sauves;  so  that  he 


70  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS 

did  not  think  of  me.  He  returned  as  usual  at  two 
or  three  in  the  morning,  and,  as  we  had  separate 
beds,  I  seldom  heard  him;  and  in  the  morning,  be- 
forfe  I  was  awake,  he  went  to  my  mother's  levee, 
where  he  met  Madame  de  Sauves,  as  usual. 

This  being  the  case,  he  quite  forgot  his  promise  to 
my  brother  of  speaking  to  me;  and  when  he  went 
away,  it  was  without  taking  leave  of  me. 

The  King  did  not  show  my  husband  more  favour 
after  my  brother's  evasion,  but  continued  to  behave 
with  his  former  coolness.  This  the  more  confirmed 
him  in  the  resolution  of  leaving  the  Court,  so  that 
in  a  few  days,  under  the  pretence  of  hunting,  he  went 
away. 


T 


LETTER  XI 

HE  King,  supposing  that  I  was  a  principal  in- 
strument in  aiding  the  Princes  in  their  deser- 
tion, was  greatly  incensed  against  me,  and  his 
rage  became  at  length  so  violent  that,  had  not  the 
Queen  my  mother  moderated  it,  I  am  inclined  to  think 
my  life  had  been  in  danger.  Giving  way  to  her  coun- 
sel, he  became  more  calm,  but  insisted  upon  a  guard 
being  placed  over  me,  that  I  might  not  follow  the  King 
my  husband,  neither  have  communication  with  any 
one,  so  as  to  give  the  Princes  intelligence  of  what 
was  going  on  at  Court.  The  Queen  my  mother  gave 
her  consent  to  this  measure,  as  being  the  least  violent, 
and  was  well  pleased  to  find  his  anger  cooled  in  so 
great  a  degree.  She,  however,  requested  that  she 
might  be  permitted  to  discourse  with  me,  in  order 
to  reconcile  me  to  a  submission  to  treatment  of  so 
different  a  kind  from  what  I  had  hitherto  known.  At 
the  same  time  she  advised  the  King  to  consider  that 
these  troubles  might  not  be  lasting;  that  everything  in 
the  world  bore  a  double  aspect;  that  what  now  ap- 
peared to  him  horrible  and  alarming,  might,  upon  a 
second  view,  assume  a  more  pleasing  and  tranquil 
look;  that,  ,as  things  changed,  so  should  measures 
change  with  them;  that  there  might  come  a  time  when 
he  might  have  occasion  for  my  services;  that,  as  pru- 
dence counselled  us  not  to  repose  too  much  confidence 
in  our  friends,  lest  they  should  one  day  become  our 
enemies,  so  was  it  advisable  to  conduct  ourselves  in 
such  a  manner  to  our  enemies  as  if  we  had  hopes 

71 


72  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

they  should  hereafter  become  our  friends.  By  such 
prudent  remonstrances  did  the  Queen  my  mother  re- 
strain the  King  from  proceeding  to  extremities  with 
me,  as  he  would  otherwise  possibly  have  done. 

Le  Guast  now  endeavoured  to  divert  his  fury  to  an- 
other object,  in  order  to  wound  me  in  a  most  sensitive 
part.  He  prevailed  on  the  King  to  adopt  a  design  for 
seizing  Torigni,  at  the  house  of  her  cousin  Chastelas, 
and,  under  pretence  of  bringing  her  before  the  King, 
to  drown  her  in  a  river  which  they  were  to  cross. 
The  party  sent  upon  this  errand  was  admitted  by 
Chastelas,  not  suspecting  any  evil  design,  without  the 
least  difficulty,  into  his  house.  As  soon  as  they  had 
gained  admission  they  proceeded  to  execute  the  cruel 
business  they  were  sent  upon,  by  fastening  Torigni 
with  cords  and  locking  her  up  in  a  chamber,  whilst 
their  horses  were  baiting.  Meantime,  according  to 
the  French  custom,  they  crammed  themselves,  like 
gluttons,  with  the  *best  eatables  the  house  afforded. 
Chastelas,  who  was  a  man  of  discretion,  was  not  dis- 
pleased to  gain  time  at  the  expense  of  some  part  of 
his  substance,  considering  that  the  suspension  of  a 
sentence  is  a  prolongation  of  life,  and  that  during  this 
respite  the  King's  heart  might  relent,  and  he  might 
countermand  his  former  orders.  With  these  consid- 
erations he  was  induced  to  submit,  though  it  was  in 
his  power  to  have  called  for  assistance  to  repel  this 
violence.  But  God,  who  hath  constantly  regarded 
my  afflictions  and  afforded  me  protection  against  the 
malicious  designs  of  my  enemies,  was  pleased  to  order 
poor  Torigni  to  be  delivered  by  means  which  I  could 
never  have  devised  had  I  been  acquainted  with  the 
plot,  of  which  I  was  totally  ignorant.  Several  of 
the  domestics,  male  as  well  as  female,  had  left  the 
house  in  a  fright,  fearing  the  insolence  and  rude  treat- 
ment of  this  troop  of  soldiers,  who  behaved  as  riot- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  73 

ously  as  if  they  were  in  a  house  given  up  to  pillage. 
Some  of  these,  at  the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  league 
from  the  house,  by  God's  providence,  fell  in  with 
Ferte  and  Avantigni,  at  the  head  of  their  troops,  in 
number  about  two  hundred  horse,  on  their  march  to 
join  my  brother.  Ferte,  remarking  a  labourer,  whom 
he  knew  to  belong  to  Chastelas,  apparently  in  great 
distress,  inquired  of  him  what  was  the  matter,  and 
whether  he  had  been  ill-used  by  any  of  the  soldiery. 
The  man  related  to  him  all  he  knew,  and  in  what 
state  he  had  left  his  master's  house.  Hereupon  Ferte 
and  Avantigni  resolved,  out  of  regard  to  me,  to  effect 
Torigni's  deliverance,  returning  thanks  to  God  for 
having  afforded  them  so  favourable  an  opportunity 
of  testifying  the  respect  they  had  always  entertained 
towards  me. 

Accordingly,  they  proceeded  to  the  house  with  all 
expedition,  and  arrived  just  at  the  moment  these  sol- 
diers were  setting  Torigni  on  horseback,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  conveying  her  to  the  river  wherein  they  had 
orders  to  plunge  her.  Galloping  into  the  courtyard, 
sword  in  hand,  they  cried  out:  "Assassins,  if  you 
dare  to  offer  that  lady  the  least  injury,  you  are  dead 
men ! "  So  saying,  they  attacked  them  and  drove 
them  to  flight,  leaving  their  prisoner  behind,  nearly 
as  dead  with  joy  as  she  was  before  with  fear  and  ap- 
prehension. After  returning  thanks  to  God  and  her 
deliverers  for  so  opportune  and  unexpected  a  rescue, 
she  and  her  cousin  Chastelas  set  off  in  a  carriage, 
under  the  escort  of  their  rescuers,  and  joined  my 
brother,  who,  since  he  could  not  have  me  with  him, 
was  happy  to  have  one  so  dear  to  me  about  him.  She 
remained  under  my  brother's  protection  as  long  as 
any  danger  was  apprehended,  and  was  treated  with  as 
much  respect  as  if  she  had  been  with  me. 

Whilst   the   King   was   giving   directions    for   this 


74  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

notable  expedition,  for  the  purpose  of  sacrificing 
Torigni  to  his  vengeance,  the  Queen  my  mother, 
who  had  not  received  the  least  intimation  of  it, 
came  to  my  apartment  as  I  was  dressing  to  go 
abroad,  in  order  to  observe  how  I  should  be  received 
after  what  had  passed  at  Court,  having  still  some 
alarms  on  account  of  my  husband  and  brother.  I 
had  hitherto  confined  myself  to  my  chamber,  not 
having  perfectly  recovered  my  health,  and,  in  reality, 
being  all  the  time  as  much  indisposed  in  mind  as  in 
body. 

.  My  mother,  perceiving  my  intention,  addressed  me 
in  these  words:  "My  child,  you  are  giving  yourself 
unnecessary  trouble  in  dressing  to  go  abroad.  Do 
not  be  alarmed  at  what  I  am  going  to  tell  you.  Your 
own  good  sense  will  dictate  to  you  that  you  ought  not 
to  be  surprised  if  the  King  resents  the  conduct  of  your 
brother  and  husband,  and  as  he  knows  the  love  and 
friendship  that  exist  between  you  three,  should  sup- 
pose that  you  were  privy  to  their  design  of  leaving  the 
Court.  He  has,  for  this  reason,  resolved  to  detain 
you  in  it,  as  a  hostage  for  them.  He  is  sensible  how 
much  you  are  beloved  by  your  husband,  and  thinks  he 
can  hold  no  pledge  that  is  more  dear  to  him.  On  this 
account  it  is  that  the  King  has  ordered  his  guards  to 
be  placed,  with  directions  not  to  suffer  you  to  leave 
your  apartments.  He  has  done  this  with  the  advice 
of  his  counsellors,  by  whom  it  was  suggested  that,  if 
you  had  your  free  liberty,  you  might  be  induced  to 
advise  your  brother  and  husband  of  their  delibera- 
tions. I  beg  you  will  not  be  offended  with  these 
measures,  which,  if  it  so  please  God,  may  not  be  of 
long  continuance.  I  beg,  moreover,  you  will  not  be 
displeased  with  me  if  I  do  not  pay  you  frequent  visits, 
as  I  should  be  unwilling  to  create  any  suspicions  in 
the  King's  mind.  However,  you  may  rest  assured  that 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  75 

I  shall  prevent  any  further  steps  from  being  taken 
that  may  prove  disagreeable  to  you,  and  that  I  shall 
use  my  utmost  endeavours  to  bring  about  a  reconcilia- 
tion betwixt  your  brothers." 

I  represented  to  her,  in  reply,  the  great  indignity 
that  was  offered  to  me  by  putting  me  under  arrest; 
that  it  was  true  my  brother  had  all  along  communi- 
cated to  me  the  just  cause  he  had  to  be  dissatisfied, 
but  that,  with  respect  to  the  King  my  husband,  from 
the  time  Torigni  was  taken  from  me  we  had  not 
spoken  to  each  other;  neither  had  he  visited  me  dur- 
ing my  indisposition,  nor  did  he  even  take  leave  of  me 
when  he  left  Court.  "  This,"  says  she,  "  is  nothing  at 
all;  it  is  merely  a  trifling  difference  betwixt  man  and 
wife,  which  a  few  sweet  words,  conveyed  in  a  letter, 
will  set  to  rights.  When,  by  such  means,  he  has 
regained  your  affections,  he  has  only  to  write  to  you 
to  come  to  him,  and  you  will  set  off  at  the  very  first 
opportunity.  Now,  this  is  what  the  King  my  son 
wishes  to  prevent." 


LETTER  XII 

THE  Queen  my  mother  left  me,  saying  these 
words.  For  my  part,  I  remained  a  close  pris- 
oner, without  a  visit  from  a  single  person,  none 
of  my  most  intimate  friends  daring  to  come  near  me, 
through  the  apprehension  that  such  a  step  might  prove 
injurious  to  their  interests.  Thus  it  is  ever  in  Courts. 
Adversity  is  solitary,  while  prosperity  dwells  in  a 
crowd;  the  object  of  persecution  being  sure  to  be 
shunned  by  his  nearest  friends  and  dearest  connec- 
tions. The  brave  Grillon  was  the  only  one  who  ven- 
tured to  visit  me,  at  the  hazard  of  incurring  disgrace. 
He  came  five  or  six  times  to  see  me,  and  my  guards 
were  so  much  astonished  at  his  resolution,  and  awed 
by  his  presence,  that  not  a  single  Cerberus  of  them 
all  would  venture  to  refuse  him  entrance  to  my 
apartments. 

Meanwhile,  the  King  my  husband  reached  the 
States  under  his  government.  Being  joined  there  by 
his  friends  and  dependents,  they  all  represented  to  him 
the  indignity  offered  to  me  by  his  quitting  the  Court 
without  taking  leave  of  me.  They  observed  to  him 
that  I  was  a  princess  of  good  understanding,  and  that 
it  would  be  for  his  interest  to  regain  my  esteem;  that, 
when  matters  were  put  on  their  former  footing,  he 
might  derive  to  himself  great  advantage  from  my 
presence  at  Court.  Now  that  he  was  at  a  distance 
from  his  Circe,  Madame  de  Sauves,  he  could  listen  to 
good  advice.  Absence  having  abated  the  force  of  her 
charms,  his  eyes  were  opened;  he  discovered  the  plots 
and  machinations  of  our  enemies,  and  clearly  perceived 
that  a  rupture  could  not  but  tend  to  the  ruin  of  us  both. 

76 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  77 

Accordingly,  he  wrote  me  a  very  affectionate  letter, 
wherein  he  entreated  me  to  forget  all  that  had  passed 
betwixt  us,  assuring  me  that  from  thenceforth  he 
would  ever  love  me,  and  would  give  me  every  dem- 
onstration that  he  did  so,  desiring  me  to  inform  him 
of  what  was  going  on  at  Court,  and  how  it  fared  with 
me  and  my  brother.  My  brother  was  in  Champagne 
and  the  King  my  husband  in  Gascony,  and  there  had 
been  no  communication  betwixt  them,  though  they 
were  on  terms  of  friendship. 

I  received  this  letter  during  my  imprisonment,  and 
it  gave  me  great  comfort  under  that  situation.  Al- 
though my  guards  had  strict  orders  not  to  permit  me 
to  set  pen  to  paper,  yet,  as  necessity  is  said  to  be  the 
mother  of  invention,  I  found  means  to  write  many 
letters  to  him. 

Some  few  days  after  I  had  been  put  under  arrest, 
my  brother  had  intelligence  of  it,  which  chagrined 
him  so  much  that,  had  not  the  love  of  his  country 
prevailed  with  him,  the  effects  of  his  resentment 
would  have  been  shown  in  a  cruel  civil  war,  to  which 
purpose  he  had  a  sufficient  force  entirely  at  his  de- 
votion. He  was,  ho\vever,  withheld  by  his  patriotism, 
and  contented  himself  with  writing  to  the  Queen  my 
mother,  informing  her  that,  if  I  was  thus  treated,  he 
should  be  driven  upon  some  desperate  measure.  She, 
fearing  the  consequence  of  an  open  rupture,  and 
dreading  lest,  if  blows  were  once  struck,  she  should  be 
deprived  of  the  power  of  bringing  about  a  reconcil- 
iation betwixt  the  brothers,  represented  the  conse- 
quences to  the  King,  and  found  him  well  disposed  to 
lend  an  ear  to  her  reasons,  as  his  anger  was  now 
cooled  by  the  apprehensions  of  being  attacked  in 
Gascony,  Dauphiny,  Languedoc,  and  Poitou,  with  all 
the  strength  of  the  Huguenots  under  the  King  my 
husband. 


78  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

Besides  the  many  strong  places  held  by  the  Hugue- 
nots, my  brother  had  an  army  with  him  in  Champagne, 
composed  chiefly  of  nobility,  the  bravest  and  best  in 
France.  The  King  found,  since  my  brother's  de- 
parture, that  he  could  not,  either  by  threats  or  re- 
wards, induce  a  single  person  among  the  princes  and 
great  lords  to  act  against  him,  so  much  did  every  one 
fear  to  intermeddle  in  this  quarrel,  which  they  con- 
sidered as  of  a  family  nature;  and  after  having  ma- 
turely reflected  on  his  situation,  he  acquiesced  in  my 
mother's  opinion,  and  begged  her  to  fall  upon  some 
means  of  reconciliation.  She  thereupon  proposed  go- 
ing to  my  brother  and  taking  me  with  her.  To  the 
measure  of  taking  me,  the  King  had  an  objection,  as 
he  considered  me  as  the  hostage  for  my  husband  and 
brother.  She  then  agreed  to  leave  me  behind,  and 
set  off  without  my  knowledge  of  the  matter.  At 
their  interview,  my  brother  represented  to  the  Queen 
my  mother  that  he  could  not  but  be  greatly  dissatis- 
fied with  the  King  after  the  many  mortifications  he 
had  received  at  Court;  that  the  cruelty  and  injustice 
of  confining  me  hurt  him  equally  as  if  done  to  him- 
self; observing,  moreover,  that,  as  if  my  arrest  were 
not  a  sufficient  mortification,  poor  Torigni  must  be 
made  to  suffer;  and  concluding  with  the  declaration 
of  his  firm  resolution  not  to  listen  to  any  terms  of 
peace  until  I  was  restored  to  my  liberty,  and  repara- 
tion made  me  for  the  indignity  I  had  sustained.  The 
Queen  my  mother  being  unable  to  obtain  any  other 
answer,  returned  to  Court  and  acquainted  the  King 
with  my  brother's  determination.  Her  advice  was  to 
go  back  again  with  me,  for  going  without  me,  she 
said,  would  answer  very  little  purpose;  and  if  I  went 
with  her  in  disgust,  it  would  do  more  harm  than 
good.  Besides,  there  was  reason  to  fear,  in  that  case,  I 
should  insist  upon  going  to  my  husband.  "  In  short," 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  79 

says  she,   "  my  daughter's  guard  must  be  removed, 
and  she  must  be  satisfied  in  the  best  way  we  can." 

The  King  agreed  to  follow  her  advice,  and  was 
now,  on  a  sudden,  as  eager  to  reconcile  matters  be- 
twixt us  as  she  was  herself.  Hereupon  I  was  sent 
for,  and  when  I  came  to  her,  she  informed  me  that 
she  had  paved  the  way  for  peace;  that  it  was  for  the 
good  of  the  State,  which  she  was  sensible  I  must  be 
as  desirous  to  promote  as  my  brother;  that  she  had 
it  now  in  her  power  to  make  a  peace  which  would  be 
as  satisfactory  as  my  brother  could  desire,  and  would 
put  us  entirely  out  of  the  reach  of  Le  Guast's  machi- 
nations, or  those  of  any  one  else  who  might  have  an 
influence  over  the  King's  mind.  She  observed  that, 
by  assisting  her  to  procure  a  good  understanding  be- 
twixt the  King  and  my  brother,  I  should  relieve  her 
from  that  cruel  disquietude  under  which  she  at  pres- 
ent laboured,  as,  should  things  come  to  an  open 
rupture,  she  could  not  but  be  grieved,  whichever 
party  prevailed,  as  they  were  both  her  sons.  She 
therefore  expressed  her  hopes  that  I  would  forget  the 
injuries  I  had  received,  and  dispose  myself  to  concur 
in  a  peace,  rather  than  join  in  any  plan  of  revenge. 
She  assured  me  that  the  King  was  sorry  for  what  had 
happened;  that  he  had  even  expressed  his  regret  to 
her  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  and  had  declared  that  he 
was  ready  to  give  me  every  satisfaction.  I  replied 
that  I  was  willing  to  sacrifice  everything  for  the  good 
of  my  brothers  and  of  the  State;  that  I  wished  for 
nothing  so  much  as  peace,  and  that  I  would  exert  my- 
self to  the  utmost  to  bring  it  about. 

As  I  uttered  these  words,  the  King  came  into  the 
closet,  and,  with  a  number  of  fine  speeches,  endeav- 
oured to  soften  my  resentment  and  to  recover  my 
friendship,  to  which  I  made  such  returns  as  might 
show  him  I  harboured  no  ill-will  for  the  injuries  I 


80  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

had  received.  I  was  induced  to  such  behaviour  rather 
out  of  contempt,  and  because  it  was  good  policy  to  let 
the  King  go  away  satisfied  with  me. 

Besides,  I  had  found  a  secret  pleasure,  during  my 
confinement,  from  the  perusal  of  good  books,  to  which 
I  had  given  myself  up  with  a  delight  I  never  before 
experienced.  I  consider  this  as  an  obligation  I  owe 
to  fortune,  or,  rather,  to  Divine  Providence,  in  order 
to  prepare  me,  by  such  efficacious  means,  to  bear  up 
against  the  misfortunes  and  calamities  that  awaited 
me.  By  tracing  nature  in  the  universal  book  which 
is  opened  to  all  mankind,  I  was  led  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  Divine  Author.  Science  conducts  us,  step  by 
step,  through  the  whole  range  of  creation,  until  we  ar- 
rive, at  length,  at  God.  Misfortune  prompts  us  to 
summon  our  utmost  strength  to  oppose  grief  and  re- 
cover tranquillity,  until  at  length  we  find  a  powerful 
aid  in  the  knowledge  and  love  of  God,  whilst  pros- 
perity hurries  us  away  until  we  are  overwhelmed  by 
our  passions.  My  captivity  and  its  consequent  soli- 
tude afforded  me  the  double  advantage  of  exciting  a 
passion  for  study,  and  an  inclination  for  devotion,  ad- 
vantages I  had  never  experienced  during  the  vanities 
and  splendour  of  my  prosperity. 

As  I  have  already  observed,  the  King,  discovering 
in  me  no  signs  of  discontent,  informed'  me  that  the 
Queen  my  mother  was  going  into  Champagne  to  have 
an  interview  with  my  brother,  in  order  to  bring  about 
a  peace,  and  begged  me  to  accompany  her  thither 
and  to  use  my  best  endeavours  to  forward  his  views, 
as  he  knew  my  brother  was  always  well  disposed  to 
follow  my  counsel;  and  he  concluded  with  saying 
that  the  peace,  when  accomplished,  he  should  ever 
consider  as  being  due  to  my  good  offices,  and  should 
esteem  himself  obliged  to  me  for  it.  I  promised  to 
exert  myself  in  so  good  a  work,  which  I  plainly  per- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  81 

ceived  was  both  for  my  brother's  advantage  and  the 
benefit  of  the  State. 

The  Queen  my  mother  and  I  set  off  for  Sens  the 
next  day.  The  conference  was  agreed  to  be  held  in 
a  gentleman's  chateau,  at  a  distance  of  about  a  league 
from  that  place.  My  brother  was  waiting  for  us, 
accompanied  by  a  small  body  of  troops  and  the  prin- 
cipal Catholic  noblemen  and  princes  of  his  army. 
Amongst  these  were  the  Due  Casimir  and  Colonel 
Poux,  who  had  brought  him  six  thousand  German 
horse,  raised  by  the  Huguenots,  they  having  joined 
my  brother,  as  the  King  my  husband  and  he  acted 
in  conjunction. 

The  treaty  was  continued  for  several  days,  the  con- 
ditions of  peace  requiring  much  discussion,  especially 
such  articles  of  it  as  related  to  religion.  With  respect 
to  these,  when  at  length  agreed  upon,  they  were  too 
much  to  the  advantage  of  the  Huguenots,  as  it  ap- 
peared afterwards,  to  be  kept;  but  the  Queen  my 
mother  gave  in  to  them,  in  order  to  have  a  peace,  and 
that  the  German  cavalry  before  mentioned  might  be 
disbanded.  She  was,  moreover,  desirous  to  get  my 
brother  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Huguenots;  and  he 
was  himself  as  willing  to  leave  them,  being  always  a 
very  good  Catholic,  and  joining  the  Huguenots  only 
through  necessity. 

One  condition  of  the  peace  was,  that  my  brother 
should  have  a  suitable  establishment.  My  brother 
likewise  stipulated  for  me,  that  my  marriage  portion 
should  be  assigned  in  lands,  and  M.  de  Beauvais, 
a  commissioner  on  his  part,  insisted  much  upon  it. 
My  mother,  however,  opposed  it,  and  persuaded  me 
to  join  her  in  it,  assuring  me  that  I  should  obtain  from 
the  King  all  I  could  require.  Thereupon  I  begged 
I  might  not  be  included  in  the  articles  of  peace,  ob- 
serving that  I  would  rather  owe  whatever  I  was  to 


82  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS 

receive  to  the  particular  favour  of  the  King  and  the 
Queen  my  mother,  and  should,  besides,  consider  it  as 
more  secure  when  obtained  by  such  means. 

The  peace  being  thus  concluded  and  ratified  on 
both  sides,  the  Queen  my  mother  prepared  to  return. 
At  this  instant  I  received  letters  from  the  King  my 
husband,  in  which  he  expressed  a  great  desire  to  see 
me,  begging  me,  as  soon  as  peace  was  agreed  on,  to 
ask  leave  to  go  to  him.  I  communicated  my  husband's 
wish  to  the  Queen  my  mother,  and  added  my  own 
entreaties.  She  expressed  herself  greatly  averse  to 
such  a  measure,  and  used  every  argument  to  set  me 
against  it.  She  observed  that,  when  I  refused  her 
proposal  of  a  divorce  after  St.  Bartholomew's  Day, 
she  gave  way  to  my  refusal,  and  commended  me  for 
it,  because  my  husband  was  then  converted  to  the 
Catholic  religion;  but  now  that  he  had  abjured 
Catholicism,  and  was  turned  Huguenot  again,  she 
could  not  give  her  consent  that  I  should  go  to  him. 
When  I  still  insisted  upon  going,  she  burst  into  a 
flood  of  tears,  and  said,  if  I  did  not  return  with  her, 
it  would  prove  her  ruin;  that  the  King  would  believe 
it  was  her  doing;  that  she  had  promised  to  bring  me 
back  with  her;  and  that,  when  my  brother  returned 
to  Court,  which  would  be  soon,  she  would  give  her 
consent. 

We  now  returned  to  Paris,  and  found  the  King  well 
satisfied  that  we  had  made  a  peace;  though  not,  how- 
ever, pleased  with  the  articles  concluded  in  favour  of 
the  Huguenots.  He  therefore  resolved  within  himself, 
as  soon  as  my  brother  should  return  to  Court,  to  find 
some  pretext  for  renewing  the  war.  These  advan- 
tageous conditions  were,  indeed,  only  granted  the 
Huguenots  to  get  my  brother  out  of  their  hands,  who 
was  detained  near  two  months,  being  employed  in  dis- 
banding his  German  horse  and  the  rest  of  his  army. 


LETTER  XIII 

A  length  my  brother  returned  to  Court,  accom- 
panied by '  all  the  Catholic  nobility  who  had 
followed  his  fortunes.  The  King  received  him 
very  graciously,  and  showed,  by  his  reception  of  him, 
how  much  he  was  pleased  at  his  return.  Bussi,  who 
returned  with  my  brother,  met  likewise  with  a  gra- 
cious reception.  Le  Guast  was  now  no  more,  having 
died  under  the  operation  of  a  particular  regimen  or- 
dered for  him  by  his  physician.  He  had  given  him- 
self up  to  every  kind  of  debauchery;  and  his  death 
seemed  the  judgment  of  the  Almighty  on  one  whose 
body  had  long  been  perishing,  and  whose  soul  had 
been  made  over  to  the  prince  of  demons  as  the  price 
of  assistance  through  the  means  of  diabolical  magic, 
which  he  constantly  practised.  The  King,  though  now 
without  this  instrument  of  his  malicious  contrivances, 
turned  his  thoughts  entirely  upon  the  destruction  of 
the  Huguenots.  To  effect  this,  he  strove  to  engage 
my  brother  against  them,  and  thereby  make  them  his 
enemies;  and  that  I  might  be  considered  as  another 
enemy,  he  used  every  means  to  prevent  me  from  going 
to  the  King  my  husband.  Accordingly  he  showed 
every  mark  of  attention  to  both  of  us,  and  manifested 
an  inclination  to  gratify  all  our  wishes. 

After  some  time,  M.  de  Duras  arrived  at  Court, 
sent  by  the  King  my  husband  to  hasten  my  departure. 
Hereupon,  I  pressed  the  King  greatly  to  think  well  of 
it,  and  give  me  his  leave.  He,  to  colour  his  refusal, 
told  me  he  could  not  part  with  me  at  present,  as  I 

83 


84  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

was  the  chief  ornament  of  his  Court;  that  he  must 
keep  me  a  little  longer,  after  which  he  would  accom- 
pany me  himself  on  my  way  as  far  as  Poitiers.  With 
this  answer  and  assurance,  he  sent  M.  de  Duras  back. 
These  excuses  were  purposely  framed  in  order  to 
gain  time  until  everything  was  prepared  for  declar- 
ing war  against  the  Huguenots,  and,  in  consequence, 
against  the  King  my  husband,  as  he  fully  designed 
to  do. 

As  a  pretence  to  break  with  the  Huguenots,  a  report 
was  spread  abroad  that  the  Catholics  were  dissatisfied 
with  the  Peace  of  Sens,  and  thought  the  terms  of  it 
too  advantageous  for  the  Huguenots.  This  rumour 
succeeded,  and  produced  all  that  discontent  amongst 
the  Catholics  intended  by  it.  A  league  was  formed 
in  the  provinces  and  great  cities,  which  was  joined  by 
numbers  of  the  Catholics.  M.  de  Guise  was  named 
as  the  head  of  all.  This  was  well  known  to  the 
King,  who  pretended  to  be  ignorant  of  what  was 
going  forward,  though  nothing  else  was  talked  of  at 
Court. 

The  States  were  convened  to  meet  at  Blois.  Pre- 
vious to  the  opening  of  this  assembly,  the  King  called 
my  brother  to  his  closet,  where  were  present  the 
Queen  my  mother  and  some  of  the  King's  counsellors. 
He  represented  the  great  consequence  the  Catholic 
league  was  to  his  State  and  authority,  even  though 
they  should  appoint  De  Guise  as  the  head  of  it;  that 
such  a  measure  was  of  the  highest  importance  to  them 
both,  meaning  my  brother  and  himself;  that  the 
Catholics  had  very  just  reason  to  be  dissatisfied  with 
the  peace,  and  that  it  behoved  him,  addressing  him- 
self to  my  brother,  rather  to  join  the  Catholics  than 
the  Huguenots,  and  this  from  conscience  as  well  as 
interest.  He  concluded  his  address  to  my  brother 
with  conjuring  him,  as  a  son  of  France  and  a  good 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  85 

Catholic,  to  assist  him  with  his  aid  and  counsel  in  this 
critical  juncture,  when  his  crown  and  the  Catholic  re- 
ligion were  both  at  stake.  He  further  said  that,  in 
order  to  get  the  start  of  so  formidable  a  league,  he 
ought  to  form  one  himself,  and  become  the  head  of 
it,  as  well  to  show  his  zeal  for  religion  as  to  pre- 
vent the  Catholics  from  uniting  under  any  other 
leader.  He  then  proposed  to  declare  himself  the  head 
of  a  league,  which  should  be  joined  by  my  brother, 
the  princes,  nobles,  governors,  and  others  holding  of- 
fices under  the  Government.  Thus  was  my  brother 
reduced  to  the  necessity  of  making  his  Majesty  a 
tender  of  his  services  for  the  support  and  maintenance 
of  the  Catholic  religion. 

The  King,  having  now  obtained  assurances  of  my 
brother's  assistance  in  the  event  of  a  war,  which  was 
his  sole  view  in  the  league  which  he  had  formed  with 
so  much  art,  assembled  together  the  princes  and  chief 
noblemen  of  his  Court,  and,  calling  for  the  roll  of 
the  league,  signed  it  first  himself,  next  calling  upon 
my  brother  to  sign  it,  and,  lastly,  upon  all  present. 

The  next  day  the  States  opened  their  meeting, 
when  the  King,  calling  upon  the  Bishops  of  Lyons, 
Ambrune,  Vienne,  and  other  prelates  there  present, 
for  their  advice,  was  told  that,  after  the  oath  taken  at 
his  coronation,  no  oath  made  to  heretics  could  bind 
him,  and  therefore  he  was  absolved  from  his  engage- 
ments with  the  Huguenots. 

This  declaration  being  made  at  the  opening  of  the 
assembly,  and  war  declared  against  the  Huguenots, 
the  King  abruptly  dismissed  from  Court  the  Hugue- 
not, Genisac,  who  had  arrived  a  few  days  before, 
charged  by  the  King  my  husband  with  a  commis- 
sion to  hasten  my  departure.  The  King  very  sharply 
told  him  that  his  sister  had  been  given  to  a  Catho- 
lic, and  not  to  a  Huguenot;  and  that  if  the  King  my 


86  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

husband  expected  to  have  me,  he  must  declare  him- 
self a  Catholic. 

Every  preparation  for  war  was  made,  and  nothing 
else  talked  of  at  Court;  and,  to  make  my  brother  still 
more  obnoxious  to  the  Huguenots,  he  had  the  com- 
mand of  an  army  given  him.  Genisac  came  and  in- 
formed me  of  the  rough  message  he  had  been  dis- 
missed with.  Hereupon  I  went  directly  to  the  closet 
of  the  Queen  my  mother,  where  I  found  the  King. 
I  expressed  my  resentment  at  being  deceived  by  him, 
and  at  being  cajoled  by  his  promise  to  accompany  me 
from  Paris  to  Poitiers,  which,  as  it  now  appeared, 
was  a  mere  pretence.  I  represented  that  I  did  not 
marry  by  my  own  choice,  but  entirely  agreeable  to 
the  advice  of  King  Charles,  the  Queen  my  mother, 
and  himself;  that,  since  they  had  given  him  to  me  for 
a  husband,  they  ought  not  to  hinder  me  from  partak- 
ing of  his  fortunes;  that  I  was  resolved  to  go  to  him, 
and  that  if  I  had  not  their  leave,  I  would  get  away 
how  I  could,  even  at  the  hazard  of  my  life.  The  King 
answered :  "  Sister,  it  is  not  now  a  time  to  importune 
me  for  leave.  I  acknowledge  that  I  have,  as  you  say, 
hitherto  prevented  you  from  going,  in  order  to  forbid 
it  altogether.  From  the  time  the  King  of  Navarre 
changed  his  religion,  and  again  became  a  Huguenot, 
I  have  been  against  your  going  to  him.  What  the 
Queen  my  mother  and  I  are  doing  is  for  your  good. 
I  am  determined  to  carry  on  a  war  of  extermination 
until  this  wretched  religion  of  the  Huguenots,  which 
is  of  so  mischievous  a  nature,  is  no  more.  Consider, 
my  sister,  if  you,  who  are  a  Catholic,  were  once  in 
their  hands,  you  would  become  a  hostage  for  me,  and 
prevent  my  design.  And  who  knows  but  they  might 
seek  their  revenge  upon  me  by  taking  away  your  life? 
No,  you  shall  not  go  amongst  them;  and  if  you  leave 
us  in  the  manner  you  have  now  mentioned,  rely  upon 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  87 

it  that  you  will  make  the  Queen  your  mother  and  me 
your  bitterest  enemies,  and  that  we  shall  use  every 
means  to  make  you  feel  the  effects  of  our  resentment; 
and,  moreover,  you  will  make  your  husband's  situa- 
tion worse  instead  of  better." 

I  went  from  this  audience  with  much  dissatisfac- 
tion, and,  taking  advice  of  the  principal  persons  of 
both  sexes  belonging  to  Court  whom  I  esteemed  my 
friends,  I  found  them  all  of  opinion  that  it  would  be 
exceedingly  improper  for  me  to  remain  in  a  Court 
now  at  open  variance  with  the  King  my  husband. 
They  recommended  me  not  to  stay  at  Court  whilst 
the  war  lasted,  saying  it  would  be  more  honourable 
for  me  to  leave  the  kingdom  under  the  pretence  of 
a  pilgrimage,  or  a  visit  to  some  of  my  kindred.  The 
Princesse  de  Roche-sur-Yon  was  amongst  those  I  con- 
sulted upon  the  occasion,  who  was  on  the  point  of 
setting  off  for  Spa  to  take  the  waters  there. 

My  brother  was  likewise  present  at  the  consultation, 
and  brought  with  him  Mondoucet,  who  had  been  to 
Flanders  in  quality  of  the  King's  agent,  whence  he 
was  just  returned  to  represent  to  the  King  the  dis- 
content that  had  arisen  amongst  the  Flemings  on 
account  of  infringements  made  by  the  Spanish  Gov- 
ernment on  the  French  laws.  He  stated  that  he  was 
commissioned  by  several  nobles,  and  the  municipalities 
of  several  towns,  to  declare  how  much  they  were  in- 
clined in  their  hearts  towards  France,  and  how  ready 
they  were  to  come  under  a  French  government.  Mon- 
doucet, perceiving  the  King  not  inclined  to  listen  to 
his  representation,  as  having  his  mind  wholly  occu- 
pied by  the  war  he  had  entered  into  with  the  Hugue- 
nots, whom  he  was  resolved  to  punish  for  having 
joined  my  brother,  had  ceased  to  move  in  it  further 
to  the  King,  and  addressed  himself  on  the  subject 
to  my  brother.  My  brother,  with  that  princely  spirit 


88  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

which  led  him  to  undertake  great  achievements,  read- 
ily lent  an  ear  to  Mondoucet's  proposition,  and  prom- 
ised to  engage  in  it,  for  he  was  born  rather  to  conquer 
than  to  keep  what  he  conquered.  Mondoucet's  propo- 
sition was  the  more  pleasing  to  him  as  it  was  not 
unjust,' — it  being,  in  fact,  to  recover  to  France  what 
had  been  usurped  by  Spain. 

Mondoucet  had  now  engaged  himself  in  my  broth- 
er's service,  and  was  to  return  to  Flanders  under  a 
pretence  of  accompanying  the  Princesse  de  Roche- 
sur-Yon  in  her  journey  to  Spa;  and  as  this  agent  per- 
ceived my  counsellors  to  be  at  a  loss  for  some  pre- 
tence for  my  leaving  Court  and  quitting  France  dur- 
ing the  war,  and  that  at  first  Savoy  was  proposed  for 
my  retreat,  then  Lorraine,  and  then  Our  Lady  of 
Loretto,  he  suggested  to  my  brother  that  I  might  be 
of  great  use  to  him  in  Flanders,  if,  under  the  colour 
of  any  complaint,  I  should  be  recommended  to  drink 
the  Spa  waters,  and  go  with  the  Princesse  de  Roche- 
sur-Yon.  My  brother  acquiesced  in  this  opinion,  and 
came  up  to  me,  saying :  "  Oh,  Queen !  you  need  be  no 
longer  at  a  loss  for  a  place  to  go  to.  I  have  observed 
that  you  have  frequently  an  erysipelas  on  your  arm, 
and  you  must  accompany  the  Princess  to  Spa.  You 
must  say  your  physicians  had  ordered  those  waters 
for  the  complaint;  but  when  they  did  so,  it  was  not 
the  season  to  take  them.  That  season  is  now  ap- 
proaching, and  you  hope  to  have  the  King's  leave  to 
go  there." 

My  brother  did  not  deliver  all  he  wished  to  say  at 
that  time,  because  the  Cardinal  de  Bourbon  was  pres- 
ent, whom  he  knew  to  be  a  friend  to  the  Guises  and  to 
Spain.  However,  I  saw  through  his  real  design,  and 
that  he  wished  me  to  promote  his  views  in  Flanders. 

The  company  approved  of  my  brother's  advice,  and 
the  Princesse  de  Roche-sur-Yon  heard  the  proposal 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  89 

with  great  joy,  having  a  great  regard  for  me.  She 
promised  to  attend  me  to  the  Queen  my  mother  when 
I  should  ask  her  consent. 

The  next  day  I  found  the  Queen  alone,  and  repre- 
sented to  her  the  extreme  regret  I  experienced  in 
finding  that  a  war  was  inevitable  betwixt  the  King 
my  husband  and  his  Majesty,  and  that  I  must  con- 
tinue in  a  state  of  separation  from  my  husband;  that, 
as  long  as  the  war  lasted,  it  was  neither  decent  nor 
honourable  for  me  to  stay  at  Court,  where  I  must  be 
in  one  or  other,  or  both,  of  these  cruel  situations: 
either  that  the  King  my  husband  should  believe  that 
I  continued  in  it  out  of  inclination,  and  think  me  de- 
ficient in  the  duty  I  owed  him;  or  that  his  Majesty 
should  entertain  suspicions  of  my  giving  intelligence  to 
the  King  my  husband.  Either  of  these  cases,  I  ob- 
served, could  not  but  prove  injurious  to  me.  I  there- 
fore prayed  her  not  to  take  it  amiss  if  I  desired  to 
remove  myself  from  Court,  and  from  becoming  so 
unpleasantly  situated;  adding  that  my  physicians  had 
for  some  time  recommended  me  to  take  the  Spa  waters 
for  an  erysipelas — to  which  I  had  been  long  sub- 
ject— on  my  arm;  the  season  for  taking  these  waters 
was  now  approaching,  and  that  if  she  approved  of  it, 
I  would  use  the  present  opportunity,  by  which  means 
I  should  be  at  a  distance  from  Court,  and  show  my 
husband  that,  as  I  could  not  be  with  him,  I  was  un- 
willing to  remain  amongst  his  enemies.  I  further 
expressed  my  hopes  that,  through  her  prudence,  a 
peace  might  be  effected  in  a  short  time  betwixt  the 
King  my  husband  and  his  Majesty,  and  that  my  hus- 
band might  be  restored  to  the  favour  he  formerly 
enjoyed;  that  whenever  I  learned  the  news  of  so  joy- 
ful an  event,  I  would  renew  my  solicitations  to  be 
permitted  to  go  to  my  husband.  In  the  meantime,  I 
should  hope  for  her  permission  to  have  the  honour  of 


90  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

accompanying  the  Princesse  de  Roche-sur-Yon,  there 
present,  in  her  journey  to  Spa. 

She  approved  of  what  I  proposed,  and  expressed 
her  satisfaction  that  I  had  taken  so  prudent  a  reso- 
lution. She  observed  how  much  she  was  chagrined 
when  she  found  that  the  King,  through  the  evil  per- 
suasions of  the  bishops,  had  resolved  to  break  through 
the  conditions  of  the  last  peace,  which  she  had  con- 
cluded in  his  name.  She  saw  already  the  ill  effects 
of  this  hasty  proceeding,  as  it  had  removed  from  the 
King's  Council  many  of  his  ablest  and  best  servants. 
This  gave  her,  she  said,  much  concern,  as  it  did  like- 
wise to  think  I  could  not  remain  at  Court  without 
offending  my  husband,  or  creating  jealousy  and  sus- 
picion in  the  King's  mind.  This  being  certainly  what 
was  likely  to  be  the  consequence  of  my  staying,  she 
would  advise  the  King  to  give  me  leave  to  set  out  on 
this  journey. 

She  was  as  good  as  her  word,  and  the  King  dis- 
coursed with  me  on  the  subject  without  exhibiting  the 
smallest  resentment.  Indeed,  he  was  well  pleased  now 
that  he  had  prevented  me  from  going  to  the  King 
my  husband,  for  whom  he  had  conceived  the  greatest 
animosity. 

He  ordered  a  courier  to  be  immediately  despatched 
to  Don  John  of  Austria, — who  commanded  for  the 
King  of  Spain  in  Flanders, — to  obtain  from  him  the 
necessary  passports  for  a  free  passage  in  the  coun- 
tries under  his  command,  as  I  should  be  obliged  to 
cross  a  part  of  Flanders  to  reach  Spa,  which  is  in 
the  bishopric  of  Liege. 

All  matters  being  thus  arranged,  we  separated  in  a 
few  days  after  this  interview.  The  short  time  my 
brother  and  I  remained  together  was  employed  by 
him  in  giving  me  instructions  for  the  commission  I 
had  undertaken  to  execute  for  him  in  Flanders.  The 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  91 

King  and  the  Queen  my  mother  set  out  for  Poitiers, 
to  be  near  the  army  of  M.  de  Mayenne,  then  besieg- 
ing Brouage,  which  place  being  reduced,  it  was  in- 
tended to  march  into  Gascony  and  attack  the  King 
my  husband. 

My  brother  had  the  command  of  another  army, 
ordered  to  besiege  Issoire  and  some  other  towns, 
which  he  soon  after  took. 

For  my  part,  I  set  out  on  my  journey  to  Flanders 
accompanied  by  the  Princesse  de  Roche-sur-Yon,  Ma- 
dame de  Tour  no  n,  the  lady  of  my  bedchamber, 
Madame  de  Moiiy  of  Picardy,  Madame  de  Chaste- 
laine,  De  Millon,  Mademoiselle  d'Atric,  Mademoiselle 
de  Tournon,  and  seven  or  eight  other  young  ladies. 
My  male  attendants  were  the  Cardinal  de  Lenoncourt, 
the  Bishop  of  Langres,  and  M.  de  Moiiy,  Seigneur  de 
Picardy,  at  present  father-in-law  to  the  brother  of 
Queen  Louise,  called  the  Comte  de  Chaligny,  with  my 
principal  steward  of  the  household,  my  chief  esquires, 
and  the  other  gentlemen  of  my  establishment. 


LETTER  XIV 

THE  cavalcade  that  attended  me  excited  great 
curiosity  as  it  passed  through  the  several  towns 
in  the  course  of  my  journey,  and  reflected  no 
small  degree  of  credit  on  France,  as  it  was  splendidly 
set  out,  and  made  a  handsome  appearance.  I  trav- 
elled in  a  litter  raised  with  pillars.  The  lining  of  it 
was  Spanish  velvet,  of  a  crimson  colour,  embroidered 
in  various  devices  with  gold  and  different  coloured 
silk  thread.  The  windows  were  of  glass,  painted  in 
devices.  The  lining  and  windows  had,  in  the  whole, 
forty  devices,  all  different  and  alluding  to  the  sun 
and  its  effects.  Each  device  had  its  motto,  either 
in  the  Spanish  or  Italian  language.  My  litter  was  fol- 
lowed by  two  others;  in  the  one  was  the  Princesse 
de  Roche-sur-Yon,  and  in  the  other  Madame  de 
Tournon,  my  lady  of  the  bedchamber.  After  them 
followed  ten  maids  of  honour,  on  horseback,  with 
their  governess;  and,  last  of  all,  six  coaches  and 
chariots,  with  the  rest  of  the  ladies  and  all  our  female 
attendants. 

I  took  the  road  of  Picardy,  the  towns  in  which 
province  had  received  the  King's  orders  to  pay  me  all 
due  honours.  Being  arrived  at  Le  Catelet,  a  strong 
place,  about  three  leagues  distant  from  the  frontier 
of  the  Cambresis,  the  Bishop  of  Cambray  (an  ecclesi- 
astical State  acknowledging  the  King  of  Spain  only 
as  a  guarantee)  sent  a  gentleman  to  inquire  of  me  at 
what  hour  I  should  leave  the  place,  as  he  intended 
to  meet  me  on  the  borders  of  his  territory. 

92 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  93 

Accordingly  I  found  him  there,  attended  by  a  num- 
ber of  his  people,  who  appeared  to  be  true  Flemings, 
and  to  have  all  the  rusticity  and  unpolished  manners 
of  their  country.  The  Bishop  was  of  the  House  of 
Barlemont,  one  of  the  principal  families  in  Flanders. 
All  of  this  house  have  shown  themselves  Spaniards  at 
heart,  and  at  that  time  were  firmly  attached  to  Don 
John.  The  Bishop  received  me  with  great  politeness 
and  not  a  little  of  the  Spanish  ceremony. 

Although  the  city  of  Cambray  is  not  so  well  built 
as  some  of  our  towns  in  France,  I  thought  it,  not- 
withstanding, far  more  pleasant  than  many  of  these, 
as  the  streets  and  squares  are  larger  and  better  dis- 
posed. The  churches  are  grand  and  highly  orna- 
mented, which  is,  indeed,  common  to  France;  but 
what  I  admired,  above  all,  was  the  citadel,  which 
is  the  finest  and  best  constructed  in  Christendom. 
The  Spaniards  experienced  it  to  be  strong  whilst  my 
brother  had  it  in  his  possession.  The  governor  of 
the  citadel  at  this  time  was  a  worthy  gentleman 
named  M.  d'Ainsi,  who  was,  in  every  respect,  a  polite 
and  well-accomplished  man,  having  the  carriage  and 
behaviour  of  one  of  our  most  perfect  courtiers,  very 
different  from  the  rude  incivility  which  appears  to  be 
the  characteristic  of  a  Fleming. 

The  Bishop  gave  us  a  grand  supper,  and  after 
supper  a  ball,  to  which  he  had  invited  all  the  ladies 
of  the  city.  As  soon  as  the  ball  was  opened  he  with- 
drew, in  accordance  with  the  Spanish  ceremony;  but 
M.  d'Ainsi  did  the  honours  for  him,  and  kept  me 
company  during  the  ball,  conducting  me  afterwards 
to  a  collation,  which,  considering  his  command  at  the 
citadel,  was,  I  thought,  imprudent.  /  speak  from 
experience,  having  been  taught,  to  my  cost,  and  con- 
trary to  my  desire,  the  caution  and  vigilance  neces- 
sary to  be  observed  in  keeping  such  places.  As  my 


94  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

regard  for  my  brother  was  always  predominant  in  me, 
I  continually  had  his  instructions  in  mind,  and  now 
thought  I  had  a  fair  opportunity  to  open  my  commis- 
sion and  forward  his  views  in  Flanders,  this  town 
of  Cambray,  and  especially  the  citadel,  being,  as  it 
were,  a  key  to  that  country.  Accordingly  I  employed 
all  the  talents  God  had  given  me  to  make  M.  d'Ainsi 
a  friend  to  France,  and  attach  him  to  my  brother's 
interest.  Through  God's  assistance  I  succeeded  with 
him,  and  so  much  was  M.  d'Ainsi  pleased  with  my 
conversation  that  he  came  to  the  resolution  of  solicit- 
ing the  Bishop,  his  master,  to  grant  him  leave  to 
accompany  me  as  far  as  Namur,  where  Don  John  of 
Austria  was  in  waiting  to  receive  me,  observing  that 
he  had  a  great  desire  to  witness  so  splendid  an  inter- 
view. This  Spanish  Fleming,  the  Bishop,  had  the 
weakness  to  grant  M.  d'Ainsi's  request,  who  continued 
following  in  my  train  for  ten  or  twelve  days.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  took  every  opportunity  of  discoursing 
with  me,  and  showed  that,  in  his  heart,  he  was  well 
disposed  to  embrace  the  service  of  France,  wishing  no 
better  master  than  the  Prince  my  brother,  and  declar- 
ing that  he  heartily  despised  being  under  the  com- 
mand of  his  Bishop,  who,  though  his  sovereign,  was 
not  his  superior  by  birth,  being  born  a  private  gentle- 
man like  himself,  and,  in  every  other  respect,  greatly 
his  inferior. 

Leaving  Cambray,  I  set  out  to  sleep  at  Valen- 
ciennes, the  chief  city  of  a  part  of  Flanders  called 
by  the  same  name.  Where  this  country  is  divided 
from  Cambresis  (as  far  as  which  I  was  conducted 
by  the  Bishop  of  Cambray),  the  Comte  de  Lalain,  M. 
de  Montigny  his  brother,  and  a  number  of  gentlemen, 
to  the  amount  of  two  or  three  hundred,  came  to 
meet  me. 

Valenciennes   is   a   town   inferior   to   Cambray   in 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  95 

point  of  strength,  but  equal  to  it  for  the  beauty  of  its 
squares,  and  churches, — the  former  ornamented  with 
fountains,  as  the  latter  are  with  curious  clocks.  The 
ingenuity  of  the  Germans  in  the  construction  of  their 
clocks  was  a  matter  of  great  surprise  to  all  my 
attendants,  few  amongst  whom  had  ever  before 
seen  clocks  exhibiting  a  number  of  moving  figures, 
and  playing  a  variety  of  tunes  in  the  most  agreeable 
manner. 

The  Comte  de  Lalain,  the  governor  of  the  city, 
invited  the  lords  and  gentlemen  of  my  train  to  a  ban- 
quet, reserving  himself  to  give  an  entertainment  to 
the  ladies  on  our  arrival  at  Mons,  where  we  should 
find  the  Countess  his  wife,  his  sister-in-law  Madame 
d'Aurec,  and  other  ladies  of  distinction.  Accordingly 
the  Count,  with  his  attendants,  conducted  us  thither 
the  next  day.  He  claimed  a  relationship  with  the  King 
my  husband,  and  was,  in  reality,  a  person  who  carried 
great  weight  and  authority.  He  was  much  dissatis- 
fied with  the  Spanish  Government,  and  had  conceived 
a  great  dislike  for  it  since  the  execution  of  Count 
Egmont,  who  was  his  near  kinsman. 

Although  he  had  hitherto  abstained  from  entering 
into  the  league  with  the  Prince  of  Orange  and  the 
Huguenots,  being  himself  a  steady  Catholic,  yet  he 
had  not  admitted  of  an  interview  with  Don  John, 
neither  would  he  suffer  him,  nor  any  one  in  the  in- 
terest of  Spain,  to  enter  upon  his  territories.  Don 
John  was  unwilling  to  give  the  Count  any  umbrage, 
lest  he  should  force  him  to  unite  the  Catholic  League 
of  Flanders,  called  the  League  of  the  States,  to  that 
of  the  Prince  of  Orange  and  the  Huguenots,  well 
foreseeing  that  such  a  union  would  prove  fatal  to  the 
Spanish  interest,  as  other  governors  have  since  expe- 
rienced. With  this  disposition  of  mind,  the  Comte 
de  Lalain  thought  he  could  not  give  me  sufficient 


96  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

demonstrations  of  the  joy  he  felt  by  my  presence; 
and  he  could  not  have  shown  more  honour  to  his 
natural  prince,  nor  displayed  greater  marks  of  zeal 
and  affection. 

On  our  arrival  at  Mons,  I  was  lodged  in  his  house, 
and  found  there  the  Countess  his  wife,  and  a  Court 
consisting  of  eighty  or  a  hundred  ladies  of  the  city 
and  country.  My  reception  was  rather  that  of  their 
sovereign  lady  than  of  a  foreign  princess.  The  Flem- 
ish ladies  are  naturally  lively,  affable,  and  engaging. 
The  Comtesse  de  Lalain  is  remarkably  so,  and  is, 
moreover,  a  woman  of  great  sense  and  elevation  of 
mind,  in  which  particular,  as  well  as  in  air  and  coun- 
tenance, she  carries  a  striking  resemblance  to  the 
lady  your  cousin.  We  became  immediately  intimate, 
and  commenced  a  firm  friendship  at  our  first  meet- 
ing. When  the  supper  hour  came,  we  sat  down  to  a 
banquet,  which  was  succeeded  by  a  ball;  and  this 
rule  the  Count  observed  as  long  as  I  stayed  at  Mons, 
which  was,  indeed,  longer  than  I  intended.  It  had 
been  my  intention  to  stay  at  Mons  one  night  only,  but 
the  Count's  obliging  lady  prevailed  on  me  to  pass  a 
whole  week  there.  I  strove  to  excuse  myself  from  so 
long  a  stay,  imagining  it  might  be  inconvenient  to 
them;  but  whatever  I  could  say  availed  nothing  with 
the  Count  and  his  lady,  and  I  was  under  the  necessity 
of  remaining  with  them  eight  days.  The  Countess 
and  I  were  on  so  familiar  a  footing  that  she  stayed  in 
my  bedchamber  till  a  late  hour,  and  would  not  have 
left  me  then  had  she  not  imposed  upon  herself  a  task 
very  rarely  performed  by  persons  of  her  rank,  which, 
however,  placed  the  goodness  of  her  disposition  in  the 
most  amiable  light.  In  fact,  she  gave  suck  to  her 
infant  son;  and  one  day  at  table,  sitting  next  me, 
whose  whole  attention  was  absorbed  in  the  promotion 
of  my  brother's  interest, — the  table  being  the  place 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  97 

where,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  country,  all  are 
familiar  and  ceremony  is  laid  aside, — she,  dressed 
out  in  the  richest  manner  and  blazing  with  diamonds, 
gave  the  breast  to  her  child  without  rising  from  her 
seat,  the  infant  being  brought  to  the  table  as  superbly 
habited  as  its  nurse,  the  mother.  She  performed  this 
maternal  duty  with  so  much  good  humour,  and  with 
a  gracefulness  peculiar  to  herself,  that  this  charitable 
office — which  would  have  appeared  disgusting  and 
been  considered  as  an  affront  if  done  by  some  others 
of  equal  rank — gave  pleasure  to  all  who  sat  at  table, 
and,  accordingly,  they  signified  their  approbation  by 
their  applause. 

The  tables  being  removed,  the  dances  commenced 
in  the  same  room  wherein  we  had  supped,  which  was 
magnificent  and  large.  The  Countess  and  I  sitting 
side  by  side,  I  expressed  the  pleasure  I  received  from 
her  conversation,  and  that  I  should  place  this  meet- 
ing amongst  the  happiest  events  of  my  life.  "  In- 
deed," said  I,  "  I  shall  have  cause  to  regret  that  it 
ever  did  take  place,  as  I  shall  depart  hence  so  unwill- 
ingly, there  being  so  little  probability  of  our  meeting 
again  soon.  Why  did  Heaven  deny  our  being  born 
in  the  same  country !  " 

This  was  said  in  order  to  introduce  my  brother's 
business.  She  replied :  "  This  country  did,  indeed, 
formerly  belong  to  France,  and  our  lawyers  now 
plead  their  causes  in  the  French  language.  The 
greater  part  of  the  people  here  still  retain  an  affec- 
tion for  the  French  nation.  For  my  part,"  added  the 
Countess,  "  I  have  had  a  strong  attachment  to  your 
country  ever  since  I  have  had  the  honour  of  seeing 
you.  This  country  has  been  long  in  the  possession 
of  the  House  of  Austria,  but  the  regard  of  the  people 
for  that  house  has  been  greatly  weakened  by  the 
death  of  Count  Egmont,  M.  de  Home,  M.  de  Mon- 


98  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

tigny,  and  others  of  the  same  party,  some  of  them  our 
near  relations,  and  all  of  the  best  families  of  the 
country.  We  entertain  the  utmost  dislike  for  the 
Spanish  Government,  and  wish  for  nothing  so  much 
as  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  their  tyranny;  but,  as  the 
country  is  divided  betwixt  different  religions,  we  are 
at  a  loss  how  to  effect  it.  If  we  could  unite,  we 
should  soon  drive  out  the  Spaniards;  but  this  division 
amongst  ourselves  renders  us  weak.  Would  to  God 
the  King  your  brother  would  come  to  a  resolution 
of  reconquering  this  country,  to  which  he  has  an 
ancient  claim!  We  should  all  receive  him  with  open 
arms." 

This  was  a  frank  declaration,  made  by  the  Countess 
without  premeditation,  but  it  had  been  long  agitated 
in  the  minds  of  the  people,  who  considered  that  it 
was  from  France  they  were  to  hope  for  redress  from 
the  evils  with  which  they  were  afflicted.  I  now  found 
I  had  as  favourable  an  opening  as  I  could  wish  for 
to  declare  my  errand.  I  told  her  that  the  King  of 
France  my  brother  was  averse  to  engaging  in  for- 
eign war,  and  the  more  so  as  the  Huguenots  in  his 
kingdom  were  too  strong  to  admit  of  his  sending  any 
large  force  out  of  it".  "  My  brother  Alenqon,"  said 
I,  "  has  sufficient  means,  and  might  be  induced  to 
undertake  it.  He  has  equal  valour,  prudence,  and 
benevolence  with  the  King  my  brother  or  any  of 
his  ancestors.  He  has  been  bred  to  arms,  and  is 
esteemed  one  of  the  bravest  generals  of  these  times. 
He  has  the  command  of  the  King's  army  against 
the  Huguenots,  and  has  lately  taken  a  well-fortified 
town,  called  Issoire,  and  some  other  places  that  were 
in  their  possession.  You  could  not  invite  to  your 
assistance  a  prince  who  has  it  so  much  in  his  power 
to  give  it;  being  not  only  a  neighbour,  but  having 
a  kingdom  like  France  at  his  devotion,  whence  he 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  99 

may  expect  to  derive  the  necessary  aid  and  succour. 
The  Count  your  husband  may  be  assured  that  if  he 
do  my  brother  this  good  office  he  will  not  find  him 
ungrateful,  but  may  set  what  price  he  pleases  upon 
his  meritorious  service.  My  brother  is  of  a  noble 
and  generous  disposition,  and  ready  to  requite  those 
who  do  him  favours.  He  is,  moreover,  an  admirer  of 
men  of  honour  and  gallantry,  and  accordingly  is  fol- 
lowed by  the  bravest  and  best  men  France  has  to 
boast  of.  I  am  in  hopes  that  a  peace  will  soon  be 
reestablished  with  the  Huguenots,  and  expect  to  find 
it  so  on  my  return  to  France.  If  the  Count  your 
husband  think  as  you  do,  and  will  permit  me  to 
speak  to  him  on  the  subject,  I  will  engage  to  bring 
my  brother  over  to  the  proposal,  and,  in  that  case, 
your  country  in  general,  and  your  house  in  particular, 
will  be  well  satisfied  with  him.  If,  through  your 
means,  my  brother  should  establish  himself  here,  you 
may  depend  on  seeing  me  often,  there  being  no 
brother  or  sister  who  has  a  stronger  affection  for  each 
other." 

The  Countess  appeared  to  listen  to  what  I  said 
with  great  pleasure,  and  acknowledged  that  she  had 
not  entered  upon  this  discourse  without  design.  She 
observed  that,  having  perceived  I  did  her  the  honour 
to  have  some  regard  for  her,  she  had  resolved  within 
herself  not  to  let  me  depart  out  of  the  country  with- 
out explaining  to  me  the  situation  of  it,  and  begging 
me  to  procure  the  aid  of  France  to  relieve  them  from 
the  apprehensions  of  living  in  a  state  of  perpetual 
war  or  of  submitting  to  Spanish  tyranny.  She  there- 
upon entreated  me  to  allow  her  to  relate  our  present 
conversation  to  her  husband,  and  permit  them  both 
to  confer  with  me  on  the  subject  the  next  day.  To 
this  I  readily  gave  my  consent. 

Thus  we  passed  the  evening  in  discourse  upon  the 

Memoirs — 4  .VoL  1 


ioo  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

object  of  my  mission,  and  I  observed  that  she  took  a 
singular  pleasure  in  talking  upon  it  in  all  our  succeed- 
ing conferences  when  I  thought  proper  to  introduce 
it.  The  ball  being  ended,  we  went  to  hear  vespers 
at  the  church  of  the  Canonesses,  an  order  of  nuns  of 
which  we  have  none  in  France.  These  are  young 
ladies  who  are  entered  in  these  communities  at  a 
tender  age,  in  order  to  improve  their  fortunes  till  they 
are  of  an  age  to  be  married.  They  do  not  all  sleep 
under  the  same  roof,  but  in  detached  houses  within 
an  enclosure.  In  each  of  these  houses  are  three,  four, 
or  perhaps  six  young  girls,  under  the  care  of  an  old 
woman.  These  governesses,  together  with  the  abbess, 
are  of  the  number  of  such  as  have  never  been 
married.  These  girls  never  wear  the  habit  of  the 
order  but  in  church;  and  the  service  there  ended, 
they  dress  like  others,  pay  visits,  frequent  balls, 
and  go  where  they  please.  They  were  constant  vis- 
itors at  the  Count's  entertainments,  and  danced  at 
his  balls. 

The  Countess  thought  the  time  long  until  the  night, 
when  she  had  an  opportunity  of  relating  to  the  Count 
the  conversation  she  had  with  me,  and  the  opening 
of  the  business.  The  next  morning  she  came  to  me, 
and  brought  her  husband  with  her.  He  entered  into 
a  detail  of  the  grievances  the  country  laboured  under, 
and  the  just  reasons  he  had  for  ridding  it  of  the 
tyranny  of  Spain.  In  doing  this,  he  said,  he  should 
not  consider  himself  as  acting  against  his  natural 
sovereign,  because  he  well  knew  he  ought  to  look  for 
him  in  the  person  of  the  King  of  France.  He  ex- 
plained to  me  the  means  whereby  my  brother  might 
establish  himself  in  Flanders,  having  possession  of 
Hainault,  which  extended  as  far  as  Brussels.  He 
said  the  difficulty  lay  in  securing  the  Cambresis, 
which  is  situated  betwixt  Hainault  and  Flanders.  It 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  101 

would,  therefore,  be  necessary  to  engage  M.  d'Ainsi 
in  the  business.  To  this  I  replied  that,  as  he  was 
his  neighbour  and  friend,  it  might  be  better  that  he 
should  open  the  matter  to  him ;  and  I  begged  he  would 
do  so.  I  next  assured  him  that  he  might  have  the 
most  perfect  reliance  on  the  gratitude  and  friendship 
of  nay  brother,  and  be  certain  of  receiving  as  large 
a  share  of  power  and  authority  as  such  a  service  done 
by  a  person  of  his  rank  merited.  Lastly,  we  agreed 
upon  an  interview  betwixt  my  brother  and  M.  de 
Montigny,  the  brother  of  the  Count,  which  was  to 
take  place  at  La  Fere,  upon  my  return,  when  this 
business  should  be  arranged.  During  the  time  I 
stayed  at  Mons,  I  said  all  I  could  to  confirm  the  Count 
in  this  resolution,  in  which  I  found  myself  seconded 
by  the  Countess. 

The  day  of  my  departure  was  now  arrived,  to  the 
great  regret  of  the  ladies  of  Mons,  as  well  as  myself. 
The  Countess  expressed  herself  in  terms  which 
showed  she  had  conceived  the  warmest  friendship  for 
me,  and  made  me  promise  to  return  by  way  of  that 
city.  I  presented  the  Countess  with  a  diamond  brace- 
let, and  to  the  Count  I  gave  a  riband  and  diamond  star 
of  considerable  value.  But  these  presents,  valuable  as 
they  were,  became  more  so,  in  their  estimation,  as  I 
was  the  donor. 

Of  the  ladies,  none  accompanied  me  from  this  place, 
except  Madame  d'Aurec.  She  went  with  me  to 
Namur,  where  I  slept  that  night,  and  where  she 
expected  to  find  her  husband  and  the  Due  d'Arscot, 
her  brother-in-law,  who  had  been  there  since'  the 
peace  betwixt  the  King  of  Spain  and  the  States  of 
Flanders.  For  though  they  were  both  of  the  party 
of  the  States,  yet  the  Due  d'Arscot,  being  an  old  cour- 
tier and  having  attended  King  Philip  in  Flanders  and 
England,  could  not  withdraw  himself  from  Court  and 


102  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  society  of  the  great.  The  Comte  de  Lalain,  with 
all  his  nobles,  conducted  me  two  leagues  beyond  his 
government,  and  until  he  saw  Don  John's  company 
in  the  distance  advancing  to  meet  me.  He  then 
took  his  leave  of  me,  being  unwilling  to  meet  Don 
John;  but  M.  d'Ainsi  stayed  with  me,  as  his  mas- 
ter, the  Bishop  of  Cambray,  was  in  the  Spanish 
interest. 

This  gallant  company  having  left  me,  I  was  soon 
after  met  by  Don  John  of  Austria,  preceded  by  a 
great  number  of  running  footmen,  and  escorted  by 
only  twenty  or  thirty  horsemen.  He  was  attended  by 
a  number  of  noblemen,  and  amongst  the  rest  the  Due 
d'Arscot,  M.  d'Aurec,  the  Marquis  de  Varenbon,  and 
the  younger  Balengon,  governor,  for  the  King  of 
Spain,  of  the  county  of  Burgundy.  These  last  two, 
who  are  brothers,  had  ridden  post  to  meet  me.  Of 
Don  John's  household  there  was  only  Louis  de  Gon- 
zago  of  any  rank.  He  called  himself  a  relation  of  the 
Duke  of  Mantua;  the  others  were  mean-looking  peo- 
ple, and  of  no  consideration.  Don  John  alighted  from 
his  horse  to  salute  me  in  my  litter,  which  was  opened 
for  the  purpose.  I  returned  the  salute  after  the 
French  fashion  to  him,  the  Due  d'Arscot,  and  M. 
d'Aurec.  After  an  exchange  of  compliments,  he 
mounted  his  horse,  but  continued  in  discourse  with 
me  until  we  reached  the  city,  which  was  not  before 
it  grew  dark,  as  I  set  off  late,  the  ladies  of  Mons 
keeping  me  as  long  as  they  could,  amusing  themselves 
with  viewing  my  litter,  and  requiring  an  explanation 
of  the  different  mottoes  and  devices.  However,  as 
the  Spaniards  excel  in  preserving  good  order,  Namur 
appeared  with  particular  advantage,  for  the  streets 
were  well  lighted,  every  house  being  illuminated,  so 
that  the  blaze  exceeded  that  of  daylight. 

Our  supper  was  served  to  us  in  our  respective  apart- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  103 

ments,  Don  John  being  unwilling,  after  the  fatigue 
of  so  long  a  journey,  to  incommode  us  with  a  ban- 
quet. The  house  in  which  I  was  lodged  had  been 
newly  furnished  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  me.  It 
consisted  of  a  magnificent  large  salon,  with  a  private 
apartment,  consisting  of  lodging  rooms  and  closets, 
furnished  in  the  most  costly  manner,  with  furniture 
of  every  kind,  and  hung  with  the  richest  tapestry  of 
velvet  and  satin,  divided  into  compartments  by  col- 
umns of  silver  embroidery,  with  knobs  of  gold,  all 
wrought  in  the  most  superb  manner.  Within  these 
compartments  were  figures  in  antique  habits,  em- 
broidered in  gold  and  silver. 

The  Cardinal  de  Lenoncourt,  a  man  of  taste  and 
curiosity,  being  one  day  in  these  apartments  with  the 
Due  d'Arscot,  who,  as  I  have  before  observed,  was  an 
ornament  to  Don  John's  Court,  remarked  to  him  that 
this  furniture  seemed  more  proper  for  a  great  king 
than  a  young  unmarried  prince  like  Don  John.  To 
which  the  Due  d'Arscot  replied  that  it  came  to  him 
as  a  present,  having  been  sent  to  him  by  a  bashaw 
belonging  to  the  Grand  Seignior,  whose  sons  he  had 
made  prisoners  in  a  signal  victory  obtained  over  the 
Turks.  Don  John  having  sent  the  bashaw's  sons  back 
without  ransom,  the  father,  in  return,  made  him  a 
present  of  a  large  quantity  of  gold,  silver,  and  silk 
stuffs,  which  he  caused  to  be  wrought  into  tapestry 
at  Milan,  where  there  are  curious  workmen  in  this 
way ;  'and  he  had  the  Queen's  bedchamber  hung  with 
tapestry  representing  the  battle  in  which  he  had  so 
gloriously  defeated  the  Turks. 

The  next  morning  Don  John  conducted  us  to  chapel, 
where  we  heard  mass  celebrated  after  the  Spanish 
manner,  with  all  kinds  of  music,  after  which  we  par- 
took of  a  banquet  prepared  by  Don  John.  He  and 
I  were  seated  at  a  separate  table,  at  a  distance  of  three 


104  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

yards  from  which  stood  the  great  one,  of  which  the 
honours  were  done  by  Madame  d'Aurec.  At  this 
table  the  ladies  and  principal  lords  took  their  seats. 
Don  John  was  served  with  drink  by  Louis  de  Gon- 
zago,  kneeling.  The  tables  being  removed,  the  ball 
was  opened,  and  the  dancing  continued  the  whole 
afternoon.  The  evening  was  spent  in  conversation 
betwixt  Don  John  and  me,  who  told  me  I  greatly  re- 
sembled the  Queen  his  mistress,  by  whom  he  meant 
the  late  Queen  my  sister,  and  for  whom  he  professed 
to  have  entertained  a  very  high  esteem.  In  short,  Don 
John  manifested,  by  every  mark  of  attention  and  po- 
liteness, as  well  to  me  as  to  my  attendants,  the  very 
great  pleasure  he  had  in  receiving  me. 

The  boats  which  were  to  convey  me  upon  the 
Meuse  to  Liege  not  all  being  ready,  I  was  under  the 
necessity  of  staying  another  day.  The  morning  was 
passed  as  that  of  the  day  before.  After  dinner,  we 
embarked  on  the  river  in  a  very  beautiful  boat,  sur- 
rounded by  others  having  on  board  musicians  playing 
on  hautboys,  horns,  and  violins,  and  landed  at  an 
island  where  Don  John  had  caused  a  collation  to  be 
prepared  in  a  large  bower  formed  with  branches  of 
ivy,  in  which  the  musicians  were  placed  in  small 
recesses,  playing  on  their  instruments  during 
the  time  of  supper.  The  tables  being  removed, 
the  dances  began,  and  lasted  till  it  was  time  to 
return,  which  I  did  in  the  same  boat  that  conveyed 
me  thither,  and  which  was  that  provided  for  my 
voyage. 

The  next  morning  Don  John  conducted  me  to  the 
boat,  and  there  took  a  most  polite  and  courteous  leave, 
charging  M.  and  Madame  d'Aurec  to  see  me  safe  to 
Huy,  the  first  town  belonging  to  the  Bishop  of  Liege, 
where  I  was  to  sleep.  As  soon  as  Don  John  had 
gone  on  shore,  M.  d'Ainsi,  who  remained  in  the  boat, 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  105 

and  who  had  the  Bishop  of  Cambray's  permission  to 
go  to  Namur  only,  took  leave  of  me  with  many  pro- 
testations of  fidelity  and  attachment  to  my  brother  and 
myself. 

But  Fortune,  envious  of  my  hitherto  prosperous 
journey,  gave  me  two  omens  of  the  sinister  events  of 
my  return. 

The  first  was  the  sudden  illness  which  attacked 
Mademoiselle  de  Tournon,  the  daughter  of  the  lady  of 
my  bedchamber,  a  young  person,  accomplished,  with 
every  grace  and  virtue,  and  for  whom  I  had  the  most 
perfect  regard.  No  sooner  had  the  boat  left  the 
shore  than  this  young  lady  was  seized  with  an  alarm- 
ing disorder,  which,  from  the  great  pain  attending  it, 
caused  hef  to  scream  in  the  most  doleful  manner. 
The  physicians  attributed  the  cause  to  spasms  of  the 
heart,  which,  notwithstanding  the  utmost  exertions  of 
their  skill,  carried  her  off  a  few  days  after  my  arrival 
at  Liege.  As  the  history  of  this  young  lady  is  re- 
markable, I  shall  relate  it  in  my  next  letter. 

The  other  omen  was  what  happened  to  us  at  Huy, 
immediately  upon  our  arrival  there.  This  town  is 
built  on  the  declivity  of  a  mountain,  at  the  foot  of 
which  runs  the  river  Meuse.  As  we  were  about  to 
land,  there  fell  a  torrent  of  rain,  which,  coming  down 
the  steep  sides  of  the  mountain,  swelled  the  river 
instantly  to  such  a  degree  that  we  had  only  time  to 
leap  out  of  the  boat  and  run  to  the  top,  the  flood 
reaching  the  very  highest  street,  next  to  where  I  was 
to  lodge.  There  we  were  forced  to  put  up  with  such 
accommodation  as  could  be  procured  in  the  house,  as 
it  was  impossible  to  remove  the  smallest  article  of 
our  baggage  from  the  boats,  or  even  to  stir  out  of  the 
house  we  were  in,  the  whole  city  being  under  water. 
However,  the  town  was  as  suddenly  relieved  from  this 
calamity  as  it  had  been  afflicted  with  it,  for,  on  the 


io6  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS 

next  morning,  the  whole  inundation  had  ceased,  the 
waters  having  run  off,  and  the  river  being  confined 
within  its  usual  channel. 

Leaving  Huy,  M.  and  Madame  d'Aurec  returned 
to  Don  John  at  Namur,  and  I  proceeded,  in  the  boat, 
to  sleep  that  night  at  Liege. 


LETTER  XV. 

THE  Bishop  of  Liege,  who  is  the  sovereign  of 
the  city  and  province,  received  me  with  all  the 
cordiality  and  respect  that  could  be  expected 
from  a  personage  of  his  dignity  and  great  accomplish- 
ments. He  was,  indeed,  a  nobleman  endowed  with 
singular  prudence  and  virtue,  agreeable  in  his  person 
and  conversation,  gracious  and  magnificent  in  his  car- 
riage and  behaviour,  to  which  I  may  add  that  he  spoke 
the  French  language  perfectly. 

He  was  constantly  attended  by  his  chapter,  with 
several  of  his  canons,  who  are  all  sons  of  dukes, 
counts,  or  great  German  lords.  The  bishopric  is  it- 
self a  sovereign  State,  which  brings  in  a  considerable 
revenue,  and  includes  a  number  of  fine  cities.  The 
bishop  is  chosen  from  amongst  the  canons,  who  must 
be  of  noble  descent,  and  resident  one  year.  The  city 
is  larger  than  Lyons,  and  much  resembles  it,  having1 
the  Meuse  running  through  it.  The  houses  in  which 
the  canons  reside  have  the  appearance  of  noble  pal- 
aces. The  streets  of  the  city  are  regular  and  spacious, 
the  houses  of  the  citizens  well  built,  the  squares  large, 
and  ornamented  with  curious  fountains.  The 
churches  appear  as  if  raised  entirely  of  marble,  of 
which  there  are  considerable  quarries  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood; they  are  all  of  them  ornamented  with 
beautiful  clocks,  and  exhibit  a  variety  of  moving 
figures. 

The  Bishop  received  me  as  I  landed  from  the  boat, 
and  conducted  me  to  his  magnificent  residence,  orna- 

107 


io8  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

mented  with  delicious  fountains  and  gardens,  set  off 
with  galleries,  all  painted,  superbly  gilt,  and  enriched 
with  marble,  beyond  description. 

The  spring  which  affords  the  waters  of  Spa  being 
distant  no  more  than  three  or  four  leagues  from  the 
city  of  Liege,  and  there  being  only  a  village,  consist- 
ing of  three  or  four  small  houses,  on  the  spot,  the 
Princesse  de  Roche-sur-Yon  was  advised  by  her  phy- 
sicians to  stay  at  Liege  and  have  the  waters  brought 
to  her,  which  they  assured  her  would  have  equal 
efficacy,  if  taken  after  sunset  and  before  sunrise,  as 
if  drunk  at  the  spring.  I  was  well  pleased  that  she 
resolved  to  follow  the  advice  of  the  doctors,  as  we 
were  more  comfortably  lodged  and  had  an  agreeable 
society;  for,  besides  his  Grace  (so  the  bishop  is  styled, 
as  a  king  is  addressed  his  Majesty,  and  a  prince  his 
Highness),  the  news  of  my  arrival  being  spread  about, 
many  lords  and  ladies  came  from  Germany  to  visit 
me.  Amongst  these  was  the  Countess  d'Aremberg, 
who  had  the  honour  to  accompany  Queen  Elizabeth 
to  Mezieres,  to  which  place  she  came  to  marry  King 
Charles  my  brother,  a  lady  very  high  in  the  estima- 
tion of  the  Empress,  the  Emperor,  and  all  the  princes 
in  Christendom.  With  her  came  her  sister  the 
Landgravine,  Madame  d'Aremberg  her  daughter,  M. 
d'Aremberg  her  son,  a  gallant  and  accomplished  no- 
bleman, the  perfect  image  of  his  father,  who  brought 
the  Spanish  succours  to  King  Charles  my  brother,  and 
returned  with  great  honour  and  additional  reputation. 
This  meeting,  so  honourable  to  me,  and  so  much  to 
my  satisfaction,  was  damped  by  the  grief  and  con- 
cern occasioned  by  the  loss  of  Mademoiselle  de  Tour- 
non,  whose  story,  being  of  a  singular  nature,  I  shall 
now  relate  to  you,  agreeably  to  the  promise  I  made  in 
my  last  letter. 

I  must  begin  with  observing  to  you  that  Madame 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  109 

de  Tournon,  at  this  time  lady  of  my  bedchamber,  had 
several  daughters,  the  eldest  of  whom  married  M.  de 
Balen^on,  governor,  for  the  King  of  Spain,  in  the 
county  of  Burgundy.  This  daughter,  upon  her  mar- 
riage, had  solicited  her  mother  to  admit  of  her  taking 
her  sister,  the  young  lady  whose  story  I  am  now 
about  to  relate,  to  live  with  her,  as  she  was  going  to 
a  country  strange  to  her,  and  wherein  she  had  no 
relations.  To  this  her  mother  consented;  and  the 
young  lady,  being  universally  admired  for  her  mod- 
esty and  graceful  accomplishments,  for  which  she  cer- 
tainly deserved  admiration,  attracted  the  notice  of  the 
Marquis  de  Varenbon.  The  Marquis,  as  I  before 
mentioned,  is  the  brother  of  M.  de  Balengon,  and  was 
intended  for  the  Church;  but,  being  violently  enam- 
oured of  Mademoiselle  de  Tournon  (who,  as  he 
lived  in  the  same  house,  he  had  frequent  opportuni- 
ties of  seeing),  he  now  begged  his  brother's  permis- 
sion to  marry  her,  not  having  yet  taken  orders.  The 
young  lady's  family,  to  whom  he  had  likewise  com- 
municated his  wish,  readily  gave  their  consent,  but 
his  brother  refused  his,  strongly  advising  him  to 
change  his  resolution  and  put  on  the  gown. 

Thus  were  matters  situated  when  her  mother,  Ma- 
dame de  Tournon,  a  virtuous  and  pious  lady,  thinking 
she  had  cause  to  be  offended,  ordered  her  daughter  to 
leave  the  house  of  her  sister,  Madame  de  Balengon, 
and  come  to  her.  The  mother,  a  woman  of  a  violent 
spirit,  not  considering  that  her  daughter  was  grown 
up  and  merited  a  mild  treatment,  was  continually 
scolding  the  poor  young  lady,  so  that  she  was  for 
ever  with  tears  in  her  eyes.  Still,  there  was  noth- 
ing to  blame  in  the  young  girl's  conduct,  but  such 
was  the  severity  of  the  mother's  disposition.  The 
daughter,  as  you  may  well  suppose,  wished  to  be  from 
under  the  mother's  tyrannical  government,  and  was 


I  io  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

accordingly  delighted  with  the  thoughts  of  attending 
me  in  this  journey  to  Flanders,  hoping,  as  it  happened, 
that  she  should  meet  the  Marquis  de  Varenbon  some- 
where on  the  road,  and  that,  as  he  had  now  abandoned 
all  thoughts  of  the  Church,  he  would  renew  his  pro- 
posal of  marriage,  and  take  her  from  her  mother. 

I  have  before  mentioned  that  the  Marquis  de 
Varenbon  and  the  younger  Balen^on  joined  us  at 
Namur.  Young  Balengon,  who  was  far  from  being 
so  agreeable  as  his  brother,  addressed  himself  to  the 
young  lady,  but  the  Marquis,  during  the  whole  time 
we  stayed  at  Namur,  paid  not  the  least  attention  to 
her,  and  seemed  as  if  he  had  never  been  acquainted 
with  her. 

The  resentment,  grief,  and  disappointment  occa- 
sioned by  a  behaviour  so  slighting  and  unnatural  was 
necessarily  stifled  in  her  breast,  as  decorum  and  her 
sex's  pride  obliged  her  to  appear  as  if  she  disregarded 
it;  but  when,  after  taking  leave,  all  of  them  left  the 
boat,  the  anguish  of  her  mind,  which  she  had  hitherto 
suppressed,  could  no  longer  be  restrained,  and,  labour- 
ing for  vent,  it  stopped  her  respiration,  and  forced 
from  her  those  lamentable  outcries  which  I  have  al- 
ready spoken  of.  Her  youth  combated  for  eight  days 
with  this  uncommon  disorder,  but  at  the  expiration  of 
that  time  she  died,  to  the  great  grief  of  her  mother, 
as  well  as  myself.  I  say  of  her  mother,  for,  though 
she  was  so  rigidly  severe  over  this  daughter,  she  ten- 
derly loved  her. 

The  funeral  of  this  unfortunate  young  lady  was 
solemnized  with  all  proper  ceremonies,  and  conducted 
in  the  most  honourable  manner,  as  she  was  descended 
from  a  great  family,  allied  to  the  Queen  my  mother. 
When  the  day  of  interment  arrived,  four  of  my  gen- 
tlemen were  appointed  bearers,  one  of  whom  was 
named  La  Boessiere.  This  man  had  entertained  a 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  in 

secret  passion  for  her,  which  he  never  durst  declare  on 
account  of  the  inferiority  of  his  family  and  station. 
He  was  now  destined  to  bear  the  remains  of  her, 
dead,  for  whom  he  had  long  been  dying,  and  was  now 
as  near  dying  for  her  loss  as  he  had  before  been  for 
her  love.  The  melancholy  procession  was  marching 
slowly  along,  when  it  was  met  by  the  Marquis  de 
Varenbon,  who  had  been  the  sole  occasion  of  it.  We 
had  not  left  Namur  long  when  the  Marquis  reflected 
upon  his  cruel  behaviour  towards  this  unhappy  young 
lady;  and  his  passion  (wonderful  to  relate)  being  re- 
vived by  the  absence  of  her  who  inspired  it,  though 
scarcely  alive  while  she  was  present,  he  had  resolved 
to  come  and  ask  her  of  her  mother  in  marriage.  He 
made  no  doubt,  perhaps,  of  success,  as  he  seldom 
failed  in  enterprises  of  love;  witness  the  great  lady 
he  has  since  obtained  for  a  wife,  in  opposition  to  the 
will  of  her  family.  He  might,  besides,  have  flattered 
himself  that  he  should  easily  have  gained  a  pardon 
from  her  by  whom  he  was  beloved,  according  to  the 
Italian  proverb,  "  Che  la  forza  d'amore  non  riguarda 
al  delitto  "  (Lovers  are  not  criminal  in  the  estimation 
of  one  another).  Accordingly,  the  Marquis  solicited 
Don  John  to  be  despatched  to  me  on  some  errand,  and 
arrived,  as  I  said  before,  at  the  very  instant  the  corpse 
of  this  ill-fated  young  lady  was  being  borne  to  the 
grave.  He  was  stopped  by  the  crowd  occasioned  by 
this  solemn  procession.  He  contemplates  it  for  some 
time.  He  observes  a  long  train  of  persons  in  mourn- 
ing, and  remarks  the  coffin  to  be  covered  with  a  white 
pall,  and  that  there  are  chaplets  of  flowers  laid  upon 
the  coffin.  He  inquires  whose  funeral  it  is.  The 
answer  he  receives  is,  that  it  is  the  funeral  of  a  young 
lady.  Unfortunately  for  him,  this  reply  fails  to  sat- 
isfy his  curiosity.  He  makes  up  to  one  who  led  the 
procession,  and  eagerly  asks  the  name  of  the  young 


ii2  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS 

lady  they  are  proceeding  to  bury.  When,  oh,  fatal 
answer!  Love,  willing  to  avenge  the  victim  of  his 
ingratitude  and  neglect,  suggests  a  reply  which  had 
nearly  deprived  him  of  life.  He  no  sooner  hears  the 
name  of  Mademoiselle  de  Tournon  pronounced  than 
he  falls  from  his  horse  in  a  swoon.  He  is  taken  up 
for  dead,  and  conveyed  to  the  nearest  house,  where 
he  lies  for  a  time  insensible;  his  soul,  no  doubt,  leav- 
ing his  body  to  obtain  pardon  from  her  whom  he 
had  hastened  to  a  premature  grave,  to  return  to  taste 
the  bitterness  of  death  a  second  time. 

Having  performed  the  last  offices  to  the  remains  of 
this  poor  young  lady,  I  was  unwilling  to  discompose 
the  gaiety  of  the  society  assembled  here  on  my  ac- 
count by  any  show  of  grief.  Accordingly,  I  joined 
the  Bishop,  or,  as  he  is  called,  his  Grace,  and  his 
canons,  in  their  entertainments  at  different  houses, 
and  in  gardens,  of  which  the  city  and  its  neighbour- 
hood afforded  a  variety.  I  was  every  morning  at- 
tended by  a  numerous  company  to  the  garden,  in 
which  I  drank  the  waters,  the  exercise  of  walking 
being  recommended  to  be  used  with  them.  As  the 
physician  who  advised  me  to  take  them  was  my  own 
brother,  they  did  not  fail  of  their  effect  with  me;  and 
for  these  six  or  seven  years  which  are  gone  over  my 
head  since  I  drank  them,  I  have  been  free  from  any 
complaint  of  erysipelas  on  my  arm.  From  this  gar- 
den we  usually  proceeded  to  the  place  where  we  were 
invited  to  dinner.  After  dinner  we  were  amused  with 
a  ball;  from  the  ball  we  went  to  some  convent,  where 
we  heard  vespers;  from  vespers  to  supper,  and  that 
over,  we  had  another  ball,  or  music  on  the  river. 


LETTER  XVI 

IN  this  manner  we  passed  the  six  weeks,  which  is 
the  usual  time  for  taking  these  waters,  at  the  ex- 
piration of  which  the  Princesse  de  Roche-sur- 
Yon  was  desirous  to  return  to  France;  but  Madame 
d'Aurec,  who  just  then  returned  to  us  from  Namur, 
on  her  way  to  rejoin  her  husband  in  Lorraine,  brought 
us  news  of  an  extraordinary  change  of  affairs  in  that 
town  and  province  since  we  had  passed  through  it. 

It  appeared  from  this  lady's  account  that,  on  the 
very  day  we  left  Namur,  Don  John,  after  quitting 
the  boat,  mounted  his  horse  under  pretence  of  tak- 
ing the  diversion  of  hunting,  and,  as  he  passed  the 
gate  of  the  castle  of  Namur,  expressed  a  desire  of 
seeing  it;  that,  having  entered,  he  took  possession 
of  it,  notwithstanding  he  held  it  for  the  States,  agree- 
ably to  a  convention.  Don  John,  moreover,  arrested 
the  persons  of  the  Due  d'Arscot  and  M.  d'Aurec,  and 
also  made  Madame  d'Aurec  a  prisoner.  After  some 
remonstrances  and  entreaties,  he  had  set  her  husband 
and  brother-in-law  at  liberty,  but  detained  her  as  a 
hostage  for  them.  In  consequence  of  these  measures, 
the  whole  country  was  in  arms.  The  province  of  Na- 
mur was  divided  into  three  parties:  the  first  whereof 
was  that  of  the  States,  or  the  Catholic  party  of  Flan- 
ders; the  second  that  of  the  Prince  of  Orange  and  the 
Huguenots;  the  third,  the  Spanish  party,  of  which 
Don  John  was  the  head. 

By  letters  which  I  received  just  at  this  time  from 
my  brother,  through  the  hands  of  a  gentleman  named 

113 


H4  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

Lescar,  I  found  I  was  in  great  danger  of  falling  into 
the  hands  of  one  or  other  of  these  parties. 

These  letters  informed  me  that,  since  my  departure 
from  Court,  God  had  dealt  favourably  with  my 
brother,  and  enabled  him  to  acquit  himself  of  the  com- 
mand of  the  army  confided  to  him,  greatly  to  the 
benefit  of  the  King's  service;  so  that  he  had  taken  all 
the  towns  and  driven  the  Huguenots  out  of  the  prov- 
inces, agreeably  to  the  design  for  which  the  army 
was  raised;  that  he  had  returned  to  the  Court  at 
Poitiers,  where  the  King  stayed  during  the  siege  of 
Brouage,  to  be  near  to  M.  de  Mayenne,  in  order  to 
afford  him  whatever  succours  he  stood  in  need  of; 
that,  as  the  Court  is  a  Proteus,  forever  putting  on  a 
new  face,  he  had  found  it  entirely  changed,  so  that 
he  had  been  no  more  considered  than  if  he  had  done 
the  King  no  service  whatever;  and  that  Bussi,  who 
had  been  so  graciously  looked  upon  before  and  dur- 
ing this  last  war,  had  done  great  personal  service,  and 
had  lost  a  brother  at  the  storming  of  Issoire,  was  very 
coolly  received,  and  even  as  maliciously  persecuted  as 
in  the  time  of  Le  Guast;  in  consequence  of  which 
either  he  or  Bussi  experienced  some  indignity  or  other. 
He  further  mentioned  that  the  King's  favourites  had 
been  practising  with  his  most  faithful  servants, 
Maugiron,  La  Valette,  Mauleon,  and  Hivarrot,  and 
several  other  good  and  trusty  men,  to  desert  him, 
and  enter  into  the  King's  service;  and,  lastly,  that  the 
King  had  repented  of  giving  me  leave  to  go  to  Flan- 
ders, and  that,  to  counteract  my  brother,  a  plan  was 
laid  to  intercept  me  on  my  return,  either  by  the  Span- 
iards, for  which  purpose  they  had  been  told  that  I 
had  treated  for  delivering  up  the  country  to  him,  or 
by  the  Huguenots,  in  revenge  of  the  war  my  brother 
had  carried  on  against  them,  after  having  formerly 
assisted  them. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  115 

This  intelligence  required  to  be  well  considered,  as 
there  seemed  to  be  an  utter  impossibility  of  avoiding 
both  parties.  I  had,  however,  the  pleasure  to  think 
that  two  of  the  principal  persons  of  my  company 
stood  well  with  either  one  or  another  party.  The 
Cardinal  de  Lenoncourt  had  been  thought  to  favour 
the  Huguenot  party,  and  M.  Descartes,  brother  to  the 
Bishop  of  Lisieux,  was  supposed  to  have  the  Spanish 
interest  at  heart.  I  communicated  our  difficult  situa- 
tion to  the  Princesse  de  Roche-sur-Yon  and  Madame 
de  Tournon,  who,  considering  that  we  could  not  reach 
La  Fere  in  less  than  five  or  six  days,  answered  me, 
with  tears  in  their  eyes,  that  God  only  had  it  in  his 
power  to  preserve  us,  that  I  should  recommend  my- 
self to  his  protection,  and  then  follow  such  measures 
as  should  seem  advisable.  They  observed  that,  as  one 
of  them  was  in  a  weak  state  of  health,  and  the  other 
advanced  in  years,  I  might  affect  to  make  short  jour- 
neys on  their  account,  and  they  would  put  up  with 
every  inconvenience  to  extricate  me  from  the  danger 
I  was  in. 

I  next  consulted  with  the  Bishop  of  Liege,  who 
most  certainly  acted  towards  me  like  a  father,  and 
gave  directions  to  the  grand  master  of  his  house- 
hold to  attend  me  with  his  horses  as  far  as  I  should 
think  proper.  As  it  was  necessary  that  we  should 
have  a  passport  frorr  the  Prince  of  Orange,  I  sent 
Mondoucet  to  him  to  obtain  one,  as  he  was  acquainted 
with  the  Prince  and  was  known  to  favour  his  religion. 
Mondoucet  did  not  return,  and  I  believe  I  might  have 
waited  for  him  until  this  time  to  no  purpose.  I  was 
advised  by  the  Cardinal  de  Lenoncourt  and  my  first 
esquire,  the  Chevalier  Salviati,  who  were  of  the  same 
party,  not  to  stir  without  a  passport;  but,  as  I  sus- 
pected a  plan  was  laid  to  entrap  me,  I  resolved  to  set 
out  the  next  morning. 


n6  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

They  now  saw  that  this  pretence  was  insufficient  to 
detain  me;  accordingly,  the  Chevalier  Salviati  pre- 
vailed with  my  treasurer,  who  was  secretly  a  Hugue- 
not, to  declare  he  had  not  money  enough  in  his  hands 
to  discharge  the  expenses  we  had  incurred  at  Liege, 
and  that,  in  consequence,  my  horses  were  detained. 
I  afterwards  discovered  that  this  was  false,  for,  on 
my  arrival  at  La  Fere,  I  called  for  his  accounts,  and 
found  he  had  then  a  balance  in  his  hands  which  would 
have  enabled  him  to  pay  the  expenses  of  my  family 
for  six  or  seven  weeks.  The  Princesse  de  Roche-sur- 
Yon,  incensed  at  the  affront  put  upon  me,  and  seeing 
the  danger  I  incurred  by  staying,  advanced  the  money 
that  was  required,  to  their  great  confusion;  and  I  took 
my  leave  of  his  Grace  the  Bishop,  presenting  him  with 
a  diamond  worth  three  thousand  crowns,  and  giving 
his  domestics  gold  chains  and  rings.  Having  thus 
taken  our  leave,  we  proceeded  to  Huy,  without  any 
other  passport  than  God's  good  providence. 
•  This  town,  as  I  observed  before,  belongs  to  the 
Bishop  of  Liege,  but  was  now  in  a  state  of  tumult  and 
confusion,  on  account  of  the  general  revolt  of  the  Low 
Countries,  the  townsmen  taking  part  with  the  Nether- 
landers,  notwithstanding  the  bishopric  was  a  neutral 
State.  On  this  account  they  paid  no  respect  to  the 
grand  master  of  the  Bishop's  household,  who  accom- 
panied us,  but,  knowing  Don  John  had  taken  the 
castle  of  Namur  in  order,  as  they  supposed,  to  inter- 
cept me  on  my  return,  these  brutal  people,  as  soon  as 
I  had  got  into  my  quarters,  rang  the  alarm-bell,  drew 
up  their  artillery,  placed  chains  across  the  streets,  and 
kept  us  thus  confined  and  separated  the  whole  night, 
giving  us  no  opportunity  to  expostulate  with  them  on 
such  conduct.  In  the  morning  we  were  suffered  to 
leave  the  town  without  further  molestation,  and  the 
streets  we  passed  through  were  lined  with  armed  men. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  117 

From  there  we  proceeded  to  Dinant,  where  we  in- 
tended to  sleep;  but,  unfortunately  for  us,  the  towns- 
people had  on  that  day  chosen  their  burghermasters, 
a  kind  of  officers  like  the  consuls  in  Gascony  and 
France.  In  consequence  of  this  election,  it  was  a  day 
of  tumult,  riot,  and  debauchery;  every  one  in  the 
town  was  drunk,  no  magistrate  was  acknowledged. 
In  a  word,  all  was  in  confusion.  To  render  our  sit- 
uation still  worse,  the  grand  master  of  the  Bishop's 
household  had  formerly  done  the  town  some  ill  office, 
and  was  considered  as  its  enemy.  The  people  of  the 
town,  when  in  their  sober  senses,  were  inclined  to  fa- 
vour the  party  of  the  States,  but  under  the  influence 
of  Bacchus  they  paid  no  regard  to  any  party,  not  even 
to  themselves. 

As  soon  as  I  had  reached  the  suburbs,  they  were 
alarmed  at  the  number  of  my  company,  quitted  the 
bottle  and  glass  to  take  up  their  arms,  and  immedi- 
ately shut  the  gates  against  me.  I  had  sent  a  gentle- 
man before  me,  with  my  harbinger  and  quartermas- 
ters, to  beg  the  magistrates  to  admit  me  to  stay  one 
night  in  the  town,  but  I  found  my  officers  had  been 
put  under  an  arrest.  They  bawled  out  to  us  from 
within,  to  tell  us  their  situation,  but  could  not  make 
themselves  heard.  At  length  I  raised  myself  up  in 
my  litter,  and,  taking  off  my  mask,  made  a  sign  to 
a  townsman  nearest  me,  of  the  best  appearance,  that 
I  was  desirous  to  speak  with  him.  As  soon  as  he 
drew  near  me,  I  begged  him  to  call  out  for  silence, 
which  being  with  some  difficulty  obtained,  I  repre- 
sented to  him  who  I  was,  and  the  occasion  of  my 
journey;  that  it  was  far  from  my  intention  to  do 
them  harm;  but,  to  prevent  any  suspicions  of  the  kind, 
I  only  begged  to  be  admitted  to  go  into  their  city 
with  my  women,  and  as  few  others  of  my  attendants 
as  they  thought  proper,  and  that  we  might  be  per- 


ii8  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

mitted  to  stay  there  for  one  night,  whilst  the  rest  of 
my  company  remained  within  the  suburbs. 

They  agreed  to  this  proposal,  and  opened  their 
gates  for  my  admission.  I  then  entered  the  city  with 
the  principal  persons  of  my  company,  and  the  grand 
master  of  the  Bishop's  household.  This  reverend  per- 
sonage, who  was  eighty  years  of  age,  and  wore  a 
beard  as  white  as  snow,  which  reached  down  to  his 
girdle,- — this  venerable  old  man,  I  say,  was  no  sooner 
recognized  by  the  drunken  and  armed  rabble  than  he 
was  accosted  with  the  grossest  abuse,  and  it  was  with 
difficulty  they  were  restrained  from  laying  violent 
hands  upon  him.  At  length  I  got  him  into  my  lodg- 
ings, but  the  mob  fired  at  the  house,  the  walls  of  which 
were  only  of  plaster.  Upon  being  thus  attacked,  I 
inquired  for  the  master  of  the  house,  who,  fortu- 
nately, was  within.  I  entreated  him  to  speak  from 
the  window,  to  some  one  without,  to  obtain  permission 
for  my  being  heard.  I  had  some  difficulty  to  get  him 
to  venture  doing  so.  At  length,  after  much  bawling 
from  the  window,  the  burghermasters  came  to  speak 
to  me,  but  were  so  drunk  that  they  scarcely  knew 
what  they  said.  I  explained  to  them  that  I  was  en- 
tirely ignorant  that  the  grand  master  of  the  Bishop's 
household  was  a  person  to  whom  they  had  a  dislike, 
and  I  begged  them  to  consider  the  consequences  of 
giving  offence  to  a  person  like  me,  who  was  a  friend 
of  the  principal  lords  of  the  States,  and  I  assured 
them  that  the  Comte  de  Lalain,  in  particular,  would 
be  greatly  displeased  when  he  should  hear  how  I  had 
been  received  there. 

The  name  of  the  Comte  de  Lalain  produced  an 
instant  effect,  much  more  than  if  I  had  mentioned  all 
the  sovereign  princes  I  was  related  to.  The  principal 
person  amongst  them  asked  me,  with  some  hesitation 
and  stammering,  if  I  was  really  a  particular  friend 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  119 

of  the  Count's.  Perceiving  that  to  claim  kindred  with 
the  Count  would  do  me  more  service  than  being  re- 
lated to  all  the  Powers  in  Christendom,  I  answered 
that  I  was  both  a  friend  and  a  relation.  They  then 
made  me  many  apologies  and  conges,  stretching  forth 
their  hands  in  token  of  friendship;  in  short,  they  now 
behaved  with  as  much  civility  as  before  with  rudeness. 
They  begged  my  pardon  for  what  had  happened,  and 
promised  that  the  good  old  man,  the  grand  master  of 
the  Bishop's  household,  should  be  no  more  insulted, 
but  be  suffered  to  leave  the  city  quietly,  the  next 
morning,  with  me. 

As  soon  as  morning  came,  and  while  I  was  prepar- 
ing to  go  to  hear  mass,  there  arrived  the  King's  agent 
to  Don  John,  named  Du  Bois,  a  man  much  attached 
to  the  Spanish  interest  He  informed  me  that  he  had 
received  orders  from  the  King  my  brother  to  conduct 
me  in  safety  on  my  return.  He  said  that  he  had  pre- 
vailed on  Don  John  to  permit  Barlemont  to  escort  me 
to  Namur  with  a  troop  of  cavalry,  and  begged  me  to 
obtain  leave  of  the  citizens  to  admit  Barlemont  and 
his  troop  to  enter  the  town,  that  they  might  receive 
my  orders. 

Thus  had  they  concerted  a  double  plot;  the  one  to 
get  possession  of  the  town,  the  other  of  my  person. 
I  saw  through  the  whole  design,  and  consulted  with 
the  Cardinal  de  Lenoncourt,  communicating  to  him 
my  suspicions.  The  Cardinal  was  as  unwilling  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards  as  I  could  be;  he 
therefore  thought  it  advisable  to  acquaint  the  towns- 
people with  the  plot,  and  make  our  escape  from  the 
city  by  another  road,  in  order  to  avoid  meeting  Barle- 
mont's  troop.  It  was  agreed  betwixt  us  that  the 
Cardinal  should  keep  Du  Bois  in  discourse,  whilst  I 
consulted  the  principal  citizens  in  another  apartment. 
Accordingly,  I  assembled  as  many  as  I  could,  to 


120  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

whom  I  represented  that  if  they  admitted  Barlemont 
and  his  troop  within  the  town,  he  would  most  cer- 
tainly take  possession  of  it  for  Don  John.  I  gave  it 
as  my  advice  to  make  a  show  of  defence,  to  declare 
they  would  not  be  taken  by  surprise,  and  to  offer  to 
admit  Barlemont,  and  no  one  else,  within  their  gates. 
They  resolved  to  act  according  to  my  counsel,  and 
offered  to  serve  me  at  the  hazard  of  their  lives.  They 
promised  to  procure  me  a  guide,  who  should  conduct 
me  by  a  road  by  following  which  I  should  put  the 
river  betwixt  me  and  Don  John's  forces,  whereby  I 
should  be  out  of  his  reach,  and  could  be  lodged  in 
houses  and  towns  which  were  in  the  interest  of  the 
States  only. 

This  point  being  settled,  I  despatched  them  to  give 
admission  to  M.  de  Barlemont,  who,  as  soon  as  he 
entered  within  the  gates,  begged  hard  that  his  troop 
might  come  in  likewise.  Hereupon,  the  citizens  flew 
into  a  violent  rage,  and  were  near  putting  him  to 
death.  They  told  him  that  if  he  did  not  order  his 
men  out  of  sight  of  the  town,  they  would  fire  upon 
them  with  their  great  guns.  This  was  done  with  de- 
sign to  give  me  time  to  leave  the  town  before  they 
could  follow  in  pursuit  of  me.  M.  de  Barlemont  and 
the  agent,  Du  Bois,  used  every  argument  they  could 
devise  to  persuade  me  to  go  to  Namur,  where  they 
said  Don  John  waited  to  receive  me. 

I  appeared  to  give  way  to  their  persuasions,  and, 
after  hearing  mass  and  taking  a  hasty  dinner,  I  left 
my  lodgings,  escorted  by  two  or  three  hundred  armed 
citizens,  some  of  them  engaging  Barlemont  and  Du 
Bois  in  conversation.  We  all  took  the  way  to  the 
gate  which  opens  to  the  river,  and  directly  opposite 
to  that  leading  to  Namur.  Du  Bois  and  his  colleague 
told  me  I  was  not  going  the  right  way,  but  I  con- 
tinued talking,  and  as  if  I  did  not  hear  them.  But 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  121 

When  we  reached  the  gate  I  hastened  into  the  boat, 
and  my  people  after  me.  M.  de  Barlemont  and  the 
agent  Du  Bois,  calling  out  to  me  from  the  bank,  told 
me  I  was  doing  very  wrong  and  acting  directly  con- 
trary to  the  King's  intention,  who  had  directed  that 
I  should  return  by  way  of  Namur. 

In  spite  of  all  their  remonstrances  we  crossed  the 
river  with  all  possible  expedition,  and,  during  the  two 
or  three  crossings  which  were  necessary  to  convey 
over  the  litters  and  horses,  the  citizens,  to  give  me  the 
more  time  to  escape,  were  debating  with  Barlemont 
and  Du  Bois  concerning  a  number  of  grievances  and 
complaints,  telling  them,  in  their  coarse  language,  that 
Don  John  had  broken  the  peace  and  falsified  his  en- 
gagements with  the  States;  and  they  even  rehearsed 
the  old  quarrel  of  the  death  of  Egmont,  and,  lastly, 
declared  that  if  the  troop  made  its  appearance  before 
their  walls  again,  they  would  fire  upon  it  with  their 
artillery. 

I  had  by  this  means  sufficient  time  to  reach  a  secure 
distance,  and  was,  by  the  help  of  God  and  the  assist- 
ance of  my  guide,  out  of  all  apprehensions  of  danger 
from  Barlemont  and  his  troop. 

I  intended  to  lodge  that  night  in  a  strong  castle, 
called  Fleurines,  which  belonged  to  a  gentleman  of 
the  Party  of  the  States,  whom  I  had  seen  with  the 
Comte  de  Lalain.  Unfortunately  for  me,  the  gentle- 
man was  absent,  and  his  lady  only  was  in  the  castle. 
The  courtyard  being  open,  we  entered  it,  which  put 
the  lady  into  such  a  fright  that  she  ordered  the  bridge 
to  be  drawn  up,  and  fled  to  the  strong  tower.  Noth- 
ing we  could  say  would  induce  her  to  give  us  en- 
trance. In  the  meantime,  three  hundred  gentlemen, 
whom  Don  John  had  sent  off  to  intercept  our  passage, 
and  take  possession  of  the  castle  of  Fleurines,  judging 
that  I  should  take  up  my  quarters  there,  made  their 


122  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

appearance  upon  an  eminence,  at  the  distance  of  about 
a  thousand  yards.  They,  seeing  our  carriages  in  the 
courtyard,  and  supposing  that  we  ourselves  had  taken 
to  the  strong  tower,  resolved  to  stay  where  they  were 
that  night,  hoping  to  intercept  me  the  next  morning. 

In  this  cruel  situation  were  we  placed,  in  a  court- 
yard surrounded  by  a  wall  by  no  means  strong,  and 
shut  up  by  a  gate  equally  as  weak  and  as  capable  of 
being  forced,  remonstrating  from  time  to  time  with 
the  lady,  who  was  deaf  to  all  our  prayers  and 
entreaties. 

Through  God's  mercy,  her  husband,  M.  de  Fleu- 
rines,  himself  appeared  just  as  night  approached.  We 
then  gained  instant  admission,  and  the  lady  was 
greatly  reprimanded  by  her  husband  for  her  incivility 
and  indiscreet  behaviour.  .  This  gentleman  had  been 
sent  by  the  Comte  de  Lalain,  with  directions  to  con- 
duct me  through  the  several  towns  belonging  to  the 
States,  the  Count  himself  not  being  able  to  leave  the 
army  of  the  States,  of  which  he  had  the  chief  com- 
mand, to  accompany  me. 

This  was  as  favourable  a  circumstance  for  me  as  I 
could  wish;  for,  M.  de  Fleurines  offering  to  accom- 
pany me  into  France,  the  towns  we  had  to  pass 
through  being  of  the  party  of  the  States,  we  were 
everywhere  quietly  and  honourably  received.  I  had 
only  the  mortification  of  not  being  able  to  visit  Mons, 
agreeably  to  my  promise  made  to  the  Comtesse  de 
Lalain,  not  passing  nearer  to  it  than  Nivelle,  seven 
long  leagues  distant  from  it.  The  Count  being  at 
Antwerp,  and  the  war  being  hottest  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Mons,  I  thus  was  prevented  seeing  either  of 
them  on  my  return.  I  could  only  write  to  the  Count- 
ess by  a  servant  of  the  gentleman  who  was  now  my 
conductor.  As  soon  as  she  learned  I  was  at  Nivelle, 
she  sent  some  gentlemen,  natives  of  the  part  of  Flan- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  123 

ders  I  was  in,  with  a  strong  injunction  to  see  me  safe 
on  the  frontier  of  France. 

I  had  to  pass  through  the  Cambresis,  partly  in  fa- 
vour of  Spain  and  partly  of  the  States.  Accordingly, 
I  set  out  with  these  gentlemen,  to  lodge  at  Cateau- 
Cambresis.  There  they  took  leave  of  me,  in  order 
to  return  to  Moris,  and  by  them  I  sent  the  Countess  a 
gown  of  mine,  which  had  been  greatly  admired  by  her 
when  I  wore  it  at  Mons;  it  was  of  black  satin,  curi- 
ously embroidered,  and  cost  nine  hundred  crowns. 

When  I  arrived  at  Cateau-Cambresis,  I  had  intelli- 
gence sent  me  that  a  party  of  the  Huguenot  troops 
had  a  design  to  attack  me  on  the  frontiers  of  Flanders 
and  France.  This  intelligence  I  communicated  to  a 
few  only  of  my  company,  and  prepared  to  set  off  an 
hour  before  daybreak.  When  I  sent  for  my  litters 
and  horses,  I  found  much  such  a  kind  of  delay  from 
the  Chevalier  Salviati  as  I  had  before  experienced  at 
Liege,  and  suspecting  it  was  done  designedly,  I  left 
my  litter  behind,  and  mounted  on  horseback,  with 
such  of  my  attendants  as  were  ready  to  follow  me. 
By  this  means,  with  God's  assistance,  I  escaped  being 
waylaid  by  my  enemies,  and  reached  Catelet  at  ten  in 
the  morning.  From  there  I  went  to  my  house  at  La 
Fere,  where  I  intended  to  reside  until  I  learned  that 
peace  was  concluded  upon. 

At  La  Fere  I  found  a  messenger  in  waiting  from 
my  brother,  who  had  orders  to  return  with  all  expe- 
dition, as  soon  as  I  arrived,  and  inform  him  of  it. 
My  brother  wrote  me  word,  by  that  messenger,  that 
peace  was  concluded,  and  the  King  returned  to  Paris; 
that,  as  to  himself,  his  situation  was  rather  worse 
than  better;  that  he  and  his  people  were  daily  receiv- 
ing some  affront  or  other,  and  continual  quarrels  were 
excited  betwixt  the  King's  favourites  and  Bussi  and 
my  brother's  principal  attendants.  This,  he  added, 


124  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS 

had  made  him  impatient  for  my  return,  that  he  might 
come  and  visit  me. 

I  sent  his  messenger  back,  and  immediately  after, 
my  brother  sent  Bussi  and  all  his  household  to 
Angers,  and,  taking  with  him  fifteen  or  twenty  at- 
tendants, he  rode  post  to  me  at  La  Fere.  It  was 
a  great  satisfaction  to  me  to  see  one  whom  I  so  ten- 
derly loved  and  greatly  honoured,  once  more.  I  con- 
sidered it  amongst  the  greatest  felicities  I  ever  enjoyed, 
and,  accordingly,  it  became  my  chief  study  to  make 
his  residence  here  agreeable  to  him.  He  himself 
seemed  delighted  with  this  change  of  situation,  and 
would  willingly  have  continued  in  it  longer  had  not 
the  noble  generosity  of  his  mind  called  him  forth 
to  great  achievements.  The  quiet  of  our  Court,  when 
compared  with  that  he  had  just  left,  affected  him 
so  powerfully  that  he  could  not  but  express  the  sat- 
isfaction he  felt  by  frequently  exclaiming,  "  Oh, 
Queen!  how  happy  I  am  with  you.  My  God!  your 
society  is  a  paradise  wherein  I  enjoy  every  delight, 
and  I  seem  to  have  lately  escaped  from  hell,  with  all 
its  furies  and  tortures ! " 


LETTER  XVII 

WE  passed  nearly  two  months  together,  which 
appeared  to  us  only  as  so  many  days.  I 
gave  him  an  account  of  what  I  had  done 
for  him  in  Flanders,  and  the  state  in  which  I  had  left 
the  business.  He  approved  of  the  interview  with 
the  Comte  de  Lalain's  brother  in  order  to  settle  the 
plan  of  operations  and  exchange  assurances.  Accord- 
ingly, the  Comte  de  Montigny  arrived,  with  four  or 
five  other  leading  men  of  the  county  of  Hainault 
One  of  these  was  charged  with  a  letter  from  M. 
d'Ainsi,  offering  his  services  to  my  brother,  and 
assuring  him  of  the  citadel  of  Cambray.  M.  de 
Montigny  delivered  his  brother's  declaration  and  en- 
gagement to  give  up  the  counties  of  Hainault  and 
Artois,  which  included  a  number  of  fine  cities.  These 
offers  made  and  accepted,  my  brother  dismissed  them 
with  presents  of  gold  medals,  bearing  his  and  my 
effigies,  and  every  assurance  of  his  future  favour; 
and  they  returned  to  prepare  everything  for  his  com- 
ing. In  the  meanwhile  my  brother  considered  on  the 
necessary  measures  to  be  used  for  raising  a  suffi- 
cient force,  for  which  purpose  he  returned  to  the 
King,  to  prevail  with  him  to  assist  him  in  this  enter- 
prise. 

As  I  was  anxious  to  go  to  Gascony,  I  made  ready 
for  the  journey,  and  set  off  for  Paris,  my  brother 
meeting  me  at  the  distance  of  one  day's  journey. 

At  St.  Denis  I  was  met  by  the  King,  the  Queen 
my  mother,  Queen  Louise,  and  the  whole  Court.  It 

125 


126  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

was  at  St.  Denis  that  I  was  to  stop  and  dine,  and 
there  it  was  that  I  had  the  honour  of  the  meeting 
I  have  just  mentioned. 

I  was  received  very  graciously,  and  most  sump- 
tuously entertained.  I  was  made  to  recount  the 
particulars  of  my  triumphant  journey  to  Liege,  and 
perilous  return.  The  magnificent  entertainments  I  had 
received  excited  their  admiration,  and  they  rejoiced 
at  my  narrow  escapes.  With  such  conversation  I 
amused  the  Queen  my  mother  and  the  rest  of  the 
company  in  her  coach,  on  our  way  to  Paris,  where, 
supper  and  the  ball  being  ended,  I  took  an  oppor- 
tunity, when  I  saw  the  King  and  the  Queen  my 
mother  together,  to  address  them. 

I  expressed  my  hopes  that  they  would  not  now 
oppose  my  going  to  the  King  my  husband;  that  now, 
by  the  peace,  the  chief  objection  to  it  was  removed, 
and  if  I  delayed  going,  in  the  present  situation  of  af- 
fairs, it  might  be  prejudicial  and  discreditable  to 
me.  Both  of  them  approved  of  my  request,  and  com- 
mended my  resolution.  The  Queen  my  mother  added 
that  she  would  accompany  me  on  my  journey,  as  it 
would  be  for  the  King's  service  that  she  did  so.  She 
said  the  King  must  furnish  me  with  the  necessary 
means  for  the  journey,  to  which  he  readily  assented. 
I  thought  this  a  proper  time  to  settle  everything,  and 
prevent  another  journey  to  Court,  which  would  be  no 
longer  pleasing  after  my  brother  left  it,  who  was  now 
pressing  his  expedition  to  Flanders  with  all  haste. 
I  therefore  begged  the  Queen  my  mother  to  recollect 
the  promise  she  had  made  my  brother  and  me  as  soon 
as  peace  was  agreed  upon,  which  was  that,  before  my 
departure  for  Gascony,  I  should  have  my  marriage 
portion  assigned  to  me  in  lands.  She  said  that  she 
recollected  it  well,  and  the  King  thought  it  very  rea- 
sonable, and  promised  that  it  should  be  done.  I  en- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  127 

treated  that  it  might  be  concluded  speedily,  as  I  wished 
to  set  off,  with  their  permission,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  next  month.  This,  too,  was  granted  me,  but 
granted  after  the  mode  of  the  Court;  that  is  to  say, 
notwithstanding  my  constant  solicitations,  instead  of 
despatch,  I  experienced  only  delay;  and  thus  it  con- 
tinued for  five  or  six  months  in  negotiation. 

My  brother  met  with  the  like  treatment,  though  he 
was  continually  urging  the  necessity  for  his  setting 
out  for  Flanders,  and  representing  that  his  expedition 
was  for  the  glory  and  advantage  of  France, — for  its 
glory,  as  such  an  enterprise  would,  like  Piedmont, 
prove  a  school  of  war  for  the  young  nobility,  wherein 
future  Montlucs,  Brissacs,  Termes,  and  Bellegardes 
would  be  bred,  all  of  them  instructed  in  these  wars, 
and  afterwards,  as  field-marshals,  of  the  greatest 
service  to  their  country;  and  it  would  be  for  the  ad- 
vantage of  France,  as  it  would  prevent  civil  wars;  for 
Flanders  would  then  be  no  longer  a  country  wherein 
such  discontented  spirits  as  aimed  at  novelty  could 
assemble  to  brood  over  their  malice  and  hatch  plots 
for  the  disturbance  of  their  native  land. 

These  representations,  which  were  both  reasonable 
and  consonant  with  truth,  had  no  weight  when  put 
into  the  scale  against  the  envy  excited  by  this  ad- 
yancement  of  my  brother's  fortune.  Accordingly, 
every  delay  was  used  to  hinder  him  from  collecting 
his  forces  together,  and  stop  his  expedition  to  Flan- 
ders. Bussi  and  his  other  dependents  were  offered  a 
thousand  indignities.  Every  stratagem  was  tried,  by 
day  as  well  as  by  night,  to  pick  quarrels  with  Bussi, — 
now  by  Quelus,  at  another  time  by  Grammont, — with 
the  hope  that  my  brother  would  engage  in  them.  This 
was  unknown  to  the  King;  but  Maugiron,  who  had 
engrossed  the  King's  favour,  and  who  had  quitted 
my  brother's  service,  sought  every  means  to  ruin  him, 


128  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

as  it  is  usual  for  those  who  have  given  offence  to  hate 
the  offended  party. 

Thus  did  this  man  take  every  occasion  to  brave 
and  insult  my  brother;  and  relying  upon  the  coun- 
tenance and  blind  affection  shown  him  by  the  King, 
had  leagued  himself  with  Quelus,  Saint-Luc,  Saint- 
Maigrin,  Grammont,  Mauleon,  Hivarrot,  and  other 
young  men  who  enjoyed  the  King's  favour.  As  those 
•  who  are  favourites  find  a  number  of  followers  at 
Court,  these  licentious  young  courtiers  thought  they 
might  do  whatever  they  pleased.  Some  new  dispute 
betwixt  them  and  Bussi  was  constantly  starting. 
Bussi  had  a  degree  of  courage  which  knew  not  how 
to  give  way  to  any  one;  and  my  brother,  unwilling  to 
give  umbrage  to  the  King,  and  foreseeing  that  such 
proceedings  would  not  forward  his  expedition,  to 
avoid  quarrels  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  promote  his 
plans,  resolved  to  despatch  Bussi  to  his  duchy  of 
Alengon,  in  order  to  discipline  such  troops  as  he 
should  find  there.  My  brother's  amiable  qualities 
excited  the  jealousy  of  Maugiron  and  the  rest  of  his 
cabal  about  the  King's  person,  and  their  dislike  for 
Bussi  was  not  so  much  on  his  own  account  as  because 
he  was  strongly  attached  to  my  brother.  The  slights 
and  disrespect  shown  to  my  brother  were  remarked 
by  every  one  at  Court;  but  his  prudence,  and  the 
patience  natural  to  his  disposition,  enabled  him  to 
put  up  with  their  insults,  in  hopes  of  finishing  the 
business  of  his  Flemish  expedition,  which  would  re- 
move him  to  a  distance  from  them  and  their  machi- 
nations. This  persecution  was  the  more  mortifying 
and  discreditable  as  it  even  extended  to  his  servants, 
whom  they  strove  to  injure  by  every  means  they 
could  employ.  M.  de  la  Chastre  at  this  time  had  a 
lawsuit  of  considerable  consequence  decided  against 
him,  because  he  had  lately  attached  himself  to  my 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  129 

brother.  At  the  instance  of  Maugiron  and  Saint-Luc, 
the  King  was  induced  to  solicit  the  cause  in  favour 
of  Madame  de  Senetaire,  their  friend.  M.  de  la 
Chastre,  being  greatly  injured  by  it,  complained  to 
my  brother  of  the  injustice  done  him,  with  all  the 
concern  such  a  proceeding  may  be  supposed  to  have 
occasioned. 

About  this  time  Saint-Luc's  marriage  was  cele- 
brated. My  brother  resolved  not  to  be  present  at  it, 
and  begged  of  me  to  join  him  in  the  same  resolution. 
The  Queen  my  mother  was  greatly  uneasy  on  account 
of  the  behaviour  of  these  young  men,  fearing  that,  if 
my  brother  did  not  join  them  in  this  festivity,  it 
might  be  attended  with  some  bad  consequence,  espe- 
cially as  the  day  was  likely  to  produce  scenes  of 
revelry  and  debauch;  she,  therefore,  prevailed  on  the 
King  to  permit  her  to  dine  on  the  wedding-day  at 
St.  Maur,  and  take  my  brother  and  me  with  her. 
This  was  the  day  before  Shrove  Tuesday;  and  we 
returned  in  the  evening,  the  Queen  my  mother  having 
well  lectured  my  brother,  and  made  him  consent  to 
appear  at  the  ball,  in  order  not  to  displease  the  King. 

But  this  rather  served  to  make  matters  worse  than 
better,  for  Maugiron  and  his  party  began  to  attack 
him  with  such  insolent  speeches  as  would  have  of- 
fended any  one  of  far  less  consequence.  They  said 
he  needed  not  to  have  given  himself  the  trouble  of 
dressing,  for  he  was  not  missed  in  the  afternoon;  but 
now,  they  supposed,  he  came  at  night  at  the  most 
suitable  time;  with  other  allusions  to  the  meanness 
of  his  figure  and  smallness  of  stature.  All  this  was  ad- 
dressed to  the  bride,  who  sat  near  him,  but  spoken 
out  on  purpose  that  he  might  hear  it.  My  brother, 
perceiving  this  was  purposely  said  to  provoke  an 
answer  and  occasion  his  giving  offence  to  the  King, 
removed  from  his  seat  full  of  resentment;  and,  con- 


130  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

suiting  with  M.  de  la  Chastre,  he  came  to  the  resolu- 
tion of  leaving  the  Court  in  a  few  days  on  a  hunting 
party.  He  still  thought  his  absence  might  stay  their 
malice,  and  afford  him  an  opportunity  the  more  easily 
of  settling  his  preparations  for  the  Flemish  expedition 
with  the  King.  He  went  immediately  to  the  Queen 
my  mother,  who  was  present  at  the  ball,  and  was 
extremely  sorry  to  learn  what  had  happened,  and  im- 
parted her  resolution,  in  his  absence,  to  solicit  the 
King  to  hasten  his  expedition  to  Flanders.  M.  de 
Villequier  being  present,  she  bade  him  acquaint  the 
King  with  my  brother's  intention  of  taking  the  diver- 
sion of  hunting  a  few  days;  which  she  thought  very 
proper  herself,  as  it  would  put  a  stop  to  the  disputes 
which  had  arisen  betwixt  him  and  the  young  men, 
Maugiron,  Saint-Luc,  Quelus,  and  the  rest. 

My  brother  retired  to  his  apartment,  and,  consider- 
ing his  leave  as  granted,  gave  orders  to  his  domestics 
to  prepare  to  set  off  the  next  morning  for  St.  Ger- 
main, where  he  should  hunt  the  stag  for  a  few  days. 
He  directed  the  grand  huntsman  to  be  ready  with  the 
hounds,  and  retired  to  rest,  thinking  to  withdraw 
awhile  from  the  intrigues  of  the  Court,  and  amuse 
himself  with  the  sports  of  the  field.  M.  de  Villequier, 
agreeably  to  the  command  he  had  received  from  the 
Queen  my  mother,  asked  for  leave,  and  obtained  it. 
The  King,  however,  staying  in  his  closet,  like  Reho- 
boam,  with  his  council  of  five  or  six  young  men,  they 
suggested  suspicions  in  his  mind  respecting  my  broth- 
er's departure  from  Court.  In  short,  they  worked 
upon  his  fears  and  apprehensions  so  greatly,  that  he 
took  one  of  the  most  rash  and  inconsiderate  steps  that 
was  ev.er  decided  upon  in  our  time;  which  was  to  put 
my  brother  and  all  his  principal  servants  under  an 
arrest.  This  measure  was  executed  with  as  much 
indiscretion  as  it  had  been  resolved  upon.  The  King, 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  131 

under  this  agitation  of  mind,  late  as  it  was,  hastened 
to  the  Queen  my  mother,  and  seemed  as  if  there  was 
a  general  alarm  and  the  enemy  at  the  gates,  for  he 
exclaimed  on  seeing  her :  "  How  could  you,  Madame, 
think  of  asking  me  to  let  my  brother  go  hence?  Do 
you  not  perceive  how  dangerous  his  going  will  prove 
to  my  kingdom?  Depend  upon  it  that  this  hunting 
is  merely  a  pretence  to  cover  some  treacherous  de- 
sign. I  am  going  to  put  him  and  his  people  under 
an  arrest,  and  have  his  papers  examined.  I  am  sure 
we  shall  make  some  great  discoveries." 

At  the  time  he  said  this  he  had  with  him  the  Sieur 
de  Cosse,  captain  of  the  guard,  and  a  number  of  Scot- 
tish archers.  The  Queen  my  mother,  fearing,  from 
the  King's  haste  and  trepidation,  that  some  mischief 
might  happen  to  my  brother,  begged  to  go  with  him. 
Accordingly,  undressed  as  she  was,  wrapping  herself 
up  in  a  night-gown,  she  followed  the  King  to  my 
brother's  bedchamber.  The  King  knocked  at  the 
door  with  great  violence,  ordering  it  to  be  immedi- 
ately opened,  for  that  he  was  there  himself.  My 
brother  started  up  in  his  bed,  awakened  by  the  noise, 
and,  knowing  that  he  had  done  nothing  that  he  need 
fear,  ordered  Cange,  his  valet  de  chambre,  to  open  the 
door.  The  King  entered  in  a  great  rage,  and  asked 
him  when  he  would  have  done  plotting  against  him. 
"  But  I  will  show  you,"  said  he,  "  what  it  is  to  plot 
against  your  sovereign."  Hereupon  he  ordered  the 
archers  to  take  away  all  the  trunks,  and  turn  the  va- 
lets de  chambre  out  of  the  room.  He  searched  my 
brother's  bed  himself,  to  see  if  he  could  find  any 
papers  concealed  in  it.  My  brother  had  that  evening 
received  a  letter  from  Madame  de  Sauves,  which  he 
kept  in  his  hand,  unwilling  that  it  should  be  seen. 
The  King  endeavoured  to  force  it  from  him.  He 
refused  to  part  with  it,  and  earnestly  entreated  the 
Memoirs — 5  Vol.  1 


132  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

King  would  not  insist  upon  seeing  it.  This  only  ex- 
cited the  King's  anxiety  the  more  to  have  it  in  his 
possession,  as  he  now  supposed  it  to  be  the  key  to 
the  whole  plot,  and  the  very  document  which  would 
at  once  bring  conviction  home  to  him.  At  length,  the 
King  having  got  it  into  his  hands,  he  opened  it  in 
the  presence  of  the  Queen  my  mother,  and  they  were 
,  both  as  much  confounded,  when  they  read  the  con- 
tents, as  Cato  was  when  he  obtained  a  letter  from 
Caesar,  in  the  Senate,  which  the  latter  was  unwilling 
to  give  up;  and  which  Cato,  supposing  it  to  contain 
a  conspiracy  against  the  Republic,  found  to  be  no 
other  than  a  love-letter  from  his  own  sister. 

But  the  shame  of  this  disappointment  served  only 
to  increase  the  King's  anger,  who,  without  conde- 
scending to  make  a  reply  to  my  brother,  when  repeat- 
edly asked  what  he  had  been  accused  of,  gave  him  in 
charge  of  M.  de  Cosse  and  his  Scots,  commanding 
them  not  to  admit  a  single  person  to  speak  with 
him. 

It  was  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  my  brother 
was  made  a  prisoner  in  the  manner  I  have  now 
related.  He  feared  some  fatal  event  might  succeed 
these  violent  proceedings,  and  he  was  under  the  great- 
,  est  concern  on  my  account,  supposing  me  to  be  under 
a  like  arrest.  He  observed  M.  de  Cosse  to  be  much 
affected  by  the  scene  he  had  been  witness  to,  even  to 
shedding  tears.  As  the  archers  were  in  the  room  he 
would  not  venture  to  enter  into  discourse  with  him, 
but  only  asked  what  was  become  of  me.  M.  de  Cosse 
answered  that  I  remained  at  full  liberty.  Mj  brother 
then  said  it  was  a  great  comfort  to  him  to  hear  that 
news;  "but,"  added  he,  "as  I  know  she  loves  me  so 
entirely  that  she  would  rather  be  confined  with  me 
than  have  her  liberty  whilst  I  was  in  confinement,  I 
beg  you  will  go  to  the  Queen  my  mother,  and  desire 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  133 

her  to  obtain  leave  for  my  sister  to  be  with  me."  He 
did  so,  and  it  was  granted. 

The  reliance  which  my  brother  displayed  upon  this 
occasion  in  the  sincerity  of  my  friendship  and  regard 
for  him  conferred  so  great  an  obligation  in  my  mind 
that,  though  I  have  received  many  particular  favours 
since  from  him,  this  has  always  held  the  foremost 
place  in  my  grateful  remembrance. 

By  the  time  he  had  received  permission  for  my 
being  with  him,  daylight  made  its  appearance.  See- 
ing this,  my  brother  begged  M.  de  Cosse  to  send  one 
of  his  archers  to  acquaint  me  with  his  situation,  and 
beg  me  to  come  to  him. 


LETTER  XVIII 

I  WAS  ignorant  of  what  had  happened  to  my 
brother,  and  when  the  Scottish  archer  came  into 
my  bedchamber,  I  was  still  asleep.  He  drew  the 
curtains  of  the  bed,  and  told  me,  in  his  broken  French, 
that  my  brother  wished  to  see  me.  I  stared  at  the 
man,  half  awake  as  I  was,  and  thought  it  a  dream. 
After  a  short  pause,  and  being  thoroughly  awakened, 
I  asked  him  if  he  was  not  a  Scottish  archer.  He 
answered  me  in  the  affirmative.  "  What !  "  cried  I, 
"  has  my  brother  no  one  else  to  send  a  message  by?  " 
He  replied  he  had  not,  for  all  his  domestics  had  been 
put  under  an  arrest.  He  then  proceeded  to  relate, 
as  well  as  he  could  explain  himself,  the  events  of  the 
preceding  night,  and  the  leave  granted  my  brother  for 
my  being  with  him  during  his  imprisonment. 

The  poor  fellow,  observing  me  to  be  much  affected 
by  this  intelligence,  drew  near,  and  whispered  me  to 
this  purport :  "  Do  not  grieve  yourself  about  this 
matter;  I  know  a  way  of  setting  your  brother  at 
liberty,  and  you  may  depend  upon  it,  that  I  will  do 
it;  but,  in  that  case,  I  must  go  off  with  him."  I 
assured  him  that  he  might  rely  upon  being  as  amply 
rewarded  as  he  could  wish  for  such  assistance,  and, 
huddling  on  my  clothes,  I  followed  him  alone  to  my 
brother's  apartments.  In  going  thither,  I  had  occa- 
sion to  traverse  the  whole  gallery,  which  was  filled 
with  people,  who,  at  another  time,  would  have  pressed 
forward  to  pay  their  respects  to  me;  but,  now  that 
Fortune  seemed  to  frown  upon  me,  they  all  avoided 
me,  or  appeared  as  if  they  did  not  see  me. 

134 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  135 

Coming  into  my  brother's  apartments,  I  found  him 
not  at  all  affected  by  what  had  happened;  for  such 
was  the  constancy  of  his  mind,  that  his  arrest  had 
wrought  no  change,  and  he  received  me  with  his 
usual  cheerfulness.  He  ran  to  meet  me,  and  taking 
me  in  his  arms,  he  said: 

"Queen!  I  beg  you  to  dry  up  your  tears;  in  my 
present  situation,  nothing  can  grieve  me  so  much  as 
to  find  you  under  any  concern;  for  my  own  part,  I 
am  so  conscious  of  my  innocence  and  the  integrity 
of  my  conduct,  that  I  can  defy  the  utmost  malice  of 
my  enemies.  If  I  should  chance  to  fall  the  victim  of 
their  injustice,  my  death  would  prove  a  more  cruel 
punishment  to  them  than  to  me,  who  have  courage 
sufficient  to  meet  it  in  a  just  cause.  It  is  not  death  I 
fear,  because  I  have  tasted  sufficiently  of  the  calami- 
ties and  evils  of  life,  and  am  ready  to  leave  this 
world,  which  I  have  found  only  the  abode  of  sorrow; 
but  the  circumstance  I  dread  most  is,  that,  not  finding 
me  sufficiently  guilty  to  doom  me  to  death,  I  shall  be 
condemned  to  a  long,  solitary  imprisonment;  though 
I  should  even  despise  their  tyranny  in  that  respect, 
could  I  but  have  the  assurance  of  being  comforted  by 
your  presence." 

These  words,  instead  of  stopping  my  tears,  only 
served  to  make  them  stream  afresh.  I  answered, 
sobbing,  that  my  life  and  fortune  were  at  his  devo- 
tion; that  the  power  of  God  alone  could  prevent  me 
from  affording  him  my  assistance  under  every  ex- 
tremity; that,  if  he  should  be  transported  from  that 
place,  and  I  should  be  withheld  from  following  him, 
I  would  kill  myself  on  the  spot. 

Changing  our  discourse,  we  framed  a  number  of 
conjectures  on  what  might  be  the  probable  cause  of 
the  King's  angry  proceedings  against  him,  but  found 
ourselves  at  a  loss  what  to  assign  them  to. 


136  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

Whilst  we  were  discussing  this  matter  the  hour 
came  for  opening  the  palace  gates,  when  a  simple 
young  man  belonging  to  Bussi  presented  himself  for 
entrance.  Being  stopped  by  the  guard  and  questioned 
as  to  whither  he  was  going,  he,  panic-struck,  replied 
he  was  going  to  M.  de  Bussi,  his  master.  This  an- 
swer was  carried  to  the  King,  and  gave  fresh  grounds 
for  suspicion,  It  seems  my  brother,  supposing  he 
,  should  not  be  able  to  go  to  Flanders  for  some  time, 
and  resolving  to  send  Bussi  to  his  duchy  of  Alengon 
as  I  have  already  mentioned,  had  lodged  him  in  the 
Louvre,  that  he  might  be  near  him  to  take  instruc- 
tions at  every  opportunity. 

L'Archant,  the  general  of  the  guard,  had  received 
the  King's  commands  to  make  a  search  in  the  Louvre 
for  him  and  Simier,  and  put  them  both  under  arrest. 
He  entered  upon  this  business  with  great  unwilling- 
ness, as  he  was  intimate  with  Bussi,  who  was  accus- 
tomed to  call  him  "  father."  L'Archant,  going  to 
Simier's  apartment,  arrested  him;  and  though  he 
judged  Bussi  was  there  too,  yet  being  unwilling  to 
find  him,  he  was  going  away.  Bussi,  however,  who 
had  concealed  himself  under  the  bed,  as  not  knowing 
to  whom  the  orders  for  his  arrest  might  be  given, 
finding  he  was  to  be  left  there,  and  sensible  that  he 
should  be  well  treated  by  L'Archant,  called  out  to 
him,  as  he  was  leaving  the  room,  in  his  droll 
manner : 

"  What,  papa,  are  you  going  without  me  ?  Don't 
you  think  I  am  as  great  a  rogue  as  that  Simier?  " 

"  Ah,  son,"  replied  L'Archant,  "  I  would  much 
rather  have  lost  my  arm  than  have  met  with  you ! " 

Bussi,  being  a  man  devoid  of  all  fear,  observed  that 
it  was  a  sign  that  things  went  well  with  him;  then, 
turning  to  Simier,  who  stood  trembling  with  fear,  he 
jeered  him  upon  his  pusillanimity.  L'Archant  re- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  137 

moved  them  both,  and  set  a  guard  over  them;  and,  in 
the  next  place,  proceeded  to  arrest  M.  de  la  Chastre, 
whom  he  took  to  the  Bastille. 

Meanwhile  M.  de  1'Oste  was  appointed  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  guard  which  was  set  over  my  brother. 
This  was  a  good  sort  of  old  man,  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed governor  to  the  King  my  husband,  and  loved 
me  as  if  I  had  been  his  own  child.  Sensible  of  the 
injustice  done  to  my  brother  and  me,  and  lamenting 
the  bad  counsel  by  which  the  King  was  guided,  and 
being,  moreover,  willing  to  serve  us,  he  resolved  to 
deliver  my  brother  from  arrest.  In  order  to  make 
his  intention  known  to  us  he  ordered  the  Scottish 
archers  to  wait  on  the  stairs  without,  keeping  only 
two  whom  he  could  trust  in  the  room.  Then  taking 
me  aside,  he  said: 

"  There  is  not  a  good  Frenchman  living  who  does 
not  bleed  at  his  heart  to  see  what  we  see.  I  ha^te 
served  the  King  your  father,  and  I  am  ready  to  lay 
down  my  life  to  serve  his  children.  I  expect  to  have 
the  guard  of  the  Prince  your  brother,  wherever  he 
shall  chance  to  be  confined;  and,  depend  upon  it,  at 
the  hazard  of  my  life,  I  will  restore  him  to  his  lib- 
erty. But,"  added  he,  "  that  no  suspicions  may  arise 
that  such  is  my  design,  it  will  be  proper  that  we  be 
not  seen  together  in  conversation;  however,  you  may 
rely  upon  my  word." 

This  afforded  me  great  consolation;  and,  assum- 
ing a  degree  of  courage  hereupon,  I  observed  to 
my  brother  that  we  ought  not  to  remain  there  with- 
out knowing  for  what  reason  we  were  detained,  as 
if  we  were  in  the  Inquisition;  and  that  to  treat  us 
in  such  a  manner  was  to  consider  us  as  persons  of 
no  account.  I  then  begged  M.  de  1'Oste  to  entreat 
the  King,  in  our  name,  if  the  Queen  our  mother  was 
not  permitted  to  come  to  us,  to  send  some  one  to  ac- 


138  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

quaint  us  with  the  crime  for  which  we  were  kept  in 
confinement. 

M.  de  Combaut,  who  was  at  the  head  of  the  young 
counsellors,  was  accordingly  sent  to  us;  and  he,  with 
a  great  deal  of  gravity,  informed  us  that  he  came 
from  the  King  to  inquire  what  it  was  we  wished  to 
communicate  to  his  Majesty.  We  answered  that  we 
wished  to  speak  to  some  one  near  the  King's  person, 
in  order  to  our  being  informed  what  we  were  kept 
in  confinement  for,  as  we  were  unable  to  assign  any 
reason  for  it  ourselves.  He  answered,  with  great 
solemnity,  that  we  ought  not  to  ask  of  God  or  the 
King  reasons  for  what  they  did;  as  all  their  actions 
emanated  from  wisdom  and  justice.  We  replied 
that  we  were  not  persons  to  be  treated  like  those 
shut  up  in  the  Inquisition,  who  are  left  to  guess  at 
the  cause  of  their  being  there. 

We  could  obtain  from  him,  after  all  we  said,  no 
other  satisfaction  than  his  promise  to  interest  himself 
in  our  behalf,  and  to  do  us  all  the  service  in  his 
power.  At  this  my  brother  broke  out  into  a  fit  of 
laughter;  but  I  confess  I  was  too  much  alarmed  to 
treat  his  message  with  such  indifference,  and  could 
scarcely  refrain  from  talking  to  this  messenger  as  he 
deserved. 

Whilst  he  was  making  his  report  to  the  King,  the 
Queen  my  mother  kept  her  chamber,  being  under 
great  concern,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  to  witness 
such  proceedings.  She  plainly  foresaw,  in  her  pru- 
dence, that  these  excesses  would  end  fatally,  should 
the  mildness  of  my  brother's  disposition,  and  his  re- 
gard for  the  welfare  of  the  State,  be  once  wearied 
out  with  submitting  to  such  repeated  acts  of  injus- 
tice. She  therefore  sent  for  the  senior  members  of 
the  Council,  the  chancellor,  princes,  nobles,  and  mar- 
shals of  France,  who  all  were  greatly  scandalised  at 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  139 

the  bad  counsel  which  had  been  given  to  the  King, 
and  told  the  Queen  my  mother  that  she  ought  to  re- 
monstrate with  the  King  upon  the  injustice  of  his 
proceedings.  They  observed  that  what  had  been  done 
could  not  now  be  recalled,  but  matters  might  yet  be 
set  upon  a  right  footing.  The  Queen  my  mother 
hereupon  went  to  the  King,  followed  by  these  coun- 
sellors, and  represented  to  him  the  ill  consequences 
which  might  proceed  from  the  steps  he  had  taken. 

The  King's  eyes  were  by  this  time  opened,  and  he 
saw  that  he  had  been  ill  advised.  He  therefore 
begged  the  Queen  my  mother  to  set  things  to  rights, 
and  to  prevail  on  my  brother  to  forget  all  that  had 
happened,  and  to  bear  no  resentment  against  these 
young  men,  but  to  make  up  the  breach  betwixt  Bussi 
and  Quelus. 

Things  being  thus  set  to  rights  again,  the  guard 
which  had  been  placed  over  my  brother  was  dis- 
missed, and  the  Queen  my  mother,  coming  to  his 
apartment,  told  him  he  ought  to  return  thanks  to 
God  for  his  deliverance,  for  that  there  had  been  a 
moment  when  even  she  herself  despaired  of  saving 
his  life;  that  since  he  must  now  have  discovered  that 
the  King's  temper  of  mind  was  such  that  he  took  the 
alarm  at  the  very  imagination  of  danger,  and  that, 
when  once  he  was  resolved  upon  a  measure,  no  ad- 
vice that  she  or  any  other  could  give  would  prevent 
him  from  putting  it  into  execution,  she  would  rec- 
ommend it  to  him  to  submit  himself  to  the  King's 
pleasure  in  everything,  in  order  to  prevent  the  like 
in  future;  and,  for  the  present,  to  take  the  earliest 
opportunity  of  seeing  the  King,  and  to  appear  as  if 
he  thought  no  more  about  the  past. 

We  replied  that  we  were  both  of  us  sensible  of 
God's  great  mercy  in  delivering  us  from  the  injus- 
tice of  our  enemies,  and  that,  next  to  God,  our  great- 


140  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

est  obligation  was  to  her;  but  that  my  brother's  rank 
did  not  admit  of  his  being  put  in  confinement  without 
cause,  and  released  from  it  again  without  the  for- 
mality of  an  acknowledgment.  Upon  this,  the  Queen 
observed  that  it  was  not  in  the  power  even  of  God 
himself  to  undo  what  had  been  done;  that  what  could 
be  effected  to  save  his  honour,  and  give  him  satis- 
faction for  the  irregularity  of  the  arrest,  should  have 
place.  My  brother,  therefore,  she  observed,  ought 
to  strive  to  mollify  the  King  by  addressing  him  with 
expressions  of  regard  to  his  person  and  attachment  to 
his  service;  and,  in  the  meantime,  use  his  influence 
over  Bussi  to  reconcile  him  to  Quelus,  and  to  end  all 
disputes  betwixt  them.  She  then  declared  that  the 
principal  motive  for  putting  my  brother  and  his  serv- 
ants under  arrest  was  to  prevent  the  combat  for  which 
old  Bussi,  the  brave  father  of  a  brave  son,  had  so- 
licited the  King's  leave,  wherein  he  proposed  to  be 
his  son's  second,  whilst  the  father  of  Quelus  was  to 
be  his.  These  four  had  agreed  in  this  way  to  deter- 
mine the  matter  in  dispute,  and  give  the  Court  no 
further  disturbance. 

My  brother  now  engaged  himself  to  the  Queen 
that,  as  Bussi  would  see  he  could  not  be  permitted  to 
decide  his  quarrel  by  combat,  he  should,  in  order  to 
deliver  himself  from  his  arrest,  do  as  she  had 
commanded. 

The  Queen  my  mother,  going  down  to  the  King, 
prevailed  with  him  to  restore  my  brother  to  liberty 
with  every  honour.  In  order  to  which  the  King  came 
to  her  apartment,  followed  by  the  princes,  noblemen, 
and  other  members  of  the  Council,  and  sent  for  us  by 
M.  de  Villequier.  As  we  went  along  we  found  all  the 
rooms  crowded  with  people,  who,  with  tears  in  their 
eyes,  blessed  God  for  our  deliverance.  Coming  into 
the  apartments  of  the  Queen  my  mother,  we  found 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  141 

the  King  attended  as  I  before  related.  The  King 
desired  my  brother  not  to  take  anything  ill  that  had 
been  done,  as  the  motive  for  it  was  his  concern  for 
the  good  of  his  kingdom,  and  not  any  bad  intention 
towards  himself.  My  brother  replied  that  he  had,  as 
he  ought,  devoted  his  life  to  his  service,  and,  there- 
fore, was  governed  by  his  pleasure;  but  that  he  most 
humbly  begged  him  to  consider  that  his  fidelity  and 
attachment  did  not  merit  the  return  he  had  met  with; 
that,  notwithstanding,  he  should  impute  it  entirely  to 
his  own  ill-fortune,  and  should  be  perfectly  satisfied 
if  the  King  acknowledged  his  innocence.  Hereupon 
the  King  said  that  he  entertained  not  the  least  doubt 
of  his  innocence,  and  only  desired  him  to  believe  he 
held  the  same  place  in  his  esteem  he  ever  had.  The 
Queen  my  mother  then,  taking  both  of  them  by  the 
hand,  made  them  embrace  each  other. 

Afterwards  the  King  commanded  Bussi  to  be 
brought  forth,  to  make  a  reconciliation  betwixt  him 
and  Quelus,  giving  orders,  at  the  same  time,  for  the 
release  of  Simier  and  M.  de  la  Chastre.  Bussi  com- 
ing into  the  room  with  his  usual  grace,  the  King  told 
him  he  must  be  reconciled  with  Quelus,  and  forbade 
him  to  say  a  word  more  concerning  their  quarrel. 
He  then  commanded  them  to  embrace.  "  Sire,"  said 
Bussi,  "  if  it  is  your  pleasure  that  we  kiss  and  are 
friends  again,  I  am  ready  to  obey  your  command;" 
then,  putting  himself  in  the  attitude  of  Pantaloon,  he 
went  up  to  Quelus  and  gave  him  a  hug,  which  set  all 
present  in  a  titter,  notwithstanding  they  had  been 
seriously  affected  by  the  scene  which  had  passed  just 
before. 

Many  persons  of  discretion  thought  what  had  been 
done  was  too  slight  a  reparation  for  the  injuries  my 
brother  had  received.  When  all  was  over,  the  King 
and  the  Queen  my  mother,  coming  up  to  me,  said  it 


142  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS 

would  be  incumbent  on  me  to  use  my  utmost  endeav- 
ours to  prevent  my  brother  from  calling  to  mind  any- 
thing past  which  should  make  him  swerve  from  the 
duty  and  affection  he  owed  the  King.  I  replied  that 
my  brother  was  so  prudent,  and  so  strongly  attached 
to  the  King's  service,  that  he  needed  no  admonition 
on  that  head  from  me  or  any  one  else;  and  that,  with 
respect  to  myself,  I  had  never  given  him  any  other 
advice  than  to  conform  himself  to  the  King's  pleas- 
ure and  the  duty  he  owed  him. 


LETTER  XIX 

IT  was  now  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  no 
one  present  had  yet  dined.  The  Queen  my 
mother  was  desirous  that  we  should  eat  together, 
and,  after  dinner,  she  ordered  my  brother  and  me 
to  change  our  dress  (as  the  clothes  we  had  on  were 
suitable  only  to  our  late  melancholy  situation)  and 
come  to  the  King's  supper  and  ball.  We  complied 
with  her  orders  as  far  as  a  change  of  dress,  but  our 
countenances  still  retained  the  impressions  of  grief 
and  resentment  which  we  inwardly  felt. 

I  must  inform  you  that  when  the  tragi-comedy  I 
have  given  you  an  account  of  was  over,  the  Queen 
my  mother  turned  round  to  the  Chevalier  de  Seurre, 
whom  she  recommended  to  my  brother  to  sleep  in  his 
bedchamber,  and  in  whose  conversation  she  some- 
times took  delight  because  he  was  a  man  of  some 
humour,  but  rather  inclined  to  be  cynical. 

"  Well,"  said  she,  "  M.  de  Seurre,  what  do  you 
think  of  all  this?" 

"  Madame,  I  think  there  is  too  much  of  it  for  ear- 
nest, and  not  enough  for  jest." 

Then  addressing  himself  to  me,  he  said,  but  not 
loud  enough  for  the  Queen  to  hear  him :  "  I  do  not 
believe  all  is  over  yet;  I  am  very  much  mistaken  if 
this  young  man  "  (meaning  my  brother)  "  rests  sat- 
isfied with  this." 

This  day  having  passed  in  the  manner  before  re- 
lated, the  wound  being  only  skinned  over  and  far 
from  healed,  the  young  men  about  the  King's  person 

143 


144  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

set  themselves  to  operate  in  order  to  break  it  out 
afresh. 

These  persons,  judging  of  my  brother  by  them- 
selves, and  not  having  sufficient  experience  to  know 
the  power  of  duty  over  the  minds  of  personages  of 
exalted  rank  and  high  birth,  persuaded  the  King,  still 
connecting  his  case  with  their  own,  that  it  was  impos- 
sible my  brother  should  ever  forgive  the  affront  he 
had  received,  and  not  seek  to  avenge  himself  with  the 
first  opportunity.  The  King,  forgetting  the  ill- 
judged  steps  these  young  men  had  so  lately  induced 
him  to  take,  hereupon  receives  this  new  impression, 
and  gives  orders  to  the  officers  of  the  guard  to  keep 
strict  watch  at  the  gates  that  his  brother  go  not  out, 
and  that  his  people  be  made  to  leave  the  Louvre  every 
evening,  except  such  of  them  as  usually  slept  in  his 
bedchamber  or  wardrobe. 

My  brother,  seeing  himself  thus  exposed  to  the 
caprices  of  these  headstrong  young  fellows,  who  led 
the  King  according  to  their  own  fancies,  and  fearing 
something  worse  might  happen  than  what  he  had  yet 
experienced,  at  the  end  of  three  days,  during  which 
time  he  laboured  under  apprehensions  of  this  kind, 
came  to  a  determination  to  leave  the  Court,  and 
never  more  return  to  it,  but  retire  to  his  principality 
and  make  preparations  with  all  haste  for  his  expedi- 
tion to  Flanders. 

He  communicated  his  design  to  me,  and  I  approved 
of  it,  as  I  considered  he  had  no  other  view  in  it  than 
providing  for  his  own  safety,  and  that  neither  the 
King  nor  his  government  were  likely  to  sustain  any 
injury  by  it. 

When  we  consulted  upon  the  means  of  its  accom- 
plishment, we  could  find  no  other  than  his  descending 
from  my  window,  which  was  on  the  second  story  and 
opened  to  the  ditch,  for  the  gates  were  so  closely 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  145 

watched  that  it  was  impossible  to  pass  them,  the  face 
of  every  one  going  out  of  the  Louvre  being  curiously 
examined.  He  begged  of  me,  therefore,  to  procure 
for  him  a  rope  of  sufficient  strength  and  long  enough 
for  the  purpose.  This  I  set  about  immediately,  for, 
having  the  sacking  of  a  bed  that  wanted  mending, 
I  sent  it  out  of  the  palace  by  a  lad  whom  I  could 
trust,  with  orders  to  bring  it  back  repaired,  and  to 
wrap  up  the  proper  length  of  rope  inside. 

When  all  was  prepared,  one  evening,  at  supper 
time,  I  went  to  the  Queen  my  mother,  who  supped 
alone  in  her  own  apartment,  it  being  fast-day  and  the 
King  eating  no  supper.  My  brother,  who  on  most 
occasions  was  patient  and  discreet,  spurred  on  by  the 
indignities  he  had  received,  and  anxious  to  extricate 
himself  from  danger  and  regain  his  liberty,  came  to 
me  as  I  was  rising  from  table,  and  whispered  to  me 
to  make  haste  and  come  to  him  in  my  own  apartment. 
M.  de  Matignon,  at  that  time  a  marshal,  a  sly,  cun- 
ning Norman,  and  one  who  had  no  love  for  my 
brother,  whether  he  had  some  knowledge  of  his  de- 
sign from  some  one  who  could  not  keep  a  secret,  or 
only  guessed  at  it,  observed  to  the  Queen  my  mother 
as  she  left  the  room  (which  I  overheard,  being  near 
her,  and  circumspectly  watching  every  word  and  mo- 
tion, as  may  well  be  imagined,  situated  as  I  was  be- 
twixt fear  and  hope,  and  involved  in  perplexity)  that 
my  brother  had  undoubtedly  an  intention  of  with- 
drawing himself,  and  would  not  be  there  the  next 
day;  adding  that  he  was  assured  of  it,  and  she  might 
take  her  measures  accordingly. 

I  observed  that  she  was  much  disconcerted  by  this 
observation,  and  I  had  my  fears  lest  we  should  be 
discovered.  When  we  came  into  her  closet,  she  drew 
me  aside  and  asked  if  I  heard  what  Matignon  had 
said. 


146  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

I  replied :  "  I  did  not  hear  it,  Madame,  but  I  ob- 
serve that  it  has  given  you  uneasiness." 

"  Yes,"  said  she,  "  a  great  deal  of  uneasiness,  for 
you  know  I  have  pledged  myself  to  the  King  that 
your  brother  shall  not  depart  hence,  and  Matignon 
has  declared  that  he  knows  very  well  he  will  not  be 
here  to-morrow." 

I  now  found  myself  under  a  great  embarrassment; 
I  was  in  danger  either  of  proving  unfaithful  to  my 
brother,  and  thereby  bringing  his  life  into  jeopardy, 
or  of  being  obliged  to  declare  that  to  be  truth  which 
I  knew  to  be  false,  and  this  I  would  have  died  rather 
than  be  guilty  of. 

In  this  extremity,  if  I  had  not  been  aided  by  God, 
my  countenance,  without  speaking,  would  plainly 
have  discovered  what  I  wished  to  conceal.  But  God, 
who  assists  those  who  mean  well,  and  whose  divine 
goodness  was  discoverable  in  my  brother's  escape, 
enabled  me  to  compose  my  looks  and  suggested  to  me 
such  a  reply  as  gave  her  to  understand  no  more  than 
I  wished  her  to  know,  and  cleared  my  conscience 
from  making  any  declaration  contrary  to  the  truth. 
I  answered  her  in  these  words: 

"  You  cannot,  Madame,  but  be  sensible  that  M.  de 
Matignon  is  not  one  of  my  brother's  friends,  and  that 
he  is,  besides,  a  busy,  meddling  kind  of  man,  who  is 
sorry  to  find  a  reconciliation  has  taken  place  with  us; 
and,  as  to  my  brother,  I  will  answer  for  him  with  my 
life  in  case  he  goes  hence,  of  which,  if  he  had  any 
design,  I  should,  as  I  am  well  assured,  not  be  igno- 
rant, he  never  having  yet  concealed  anything  he 
meant  to  do  from  me." 

All  this  was  said  by  me  with  the  assurance  that, 
after  my  brother's  escape,  they  would  not  dare  to  do 
me  any  injury;  and  in  case  of  the  worst,  and  when 
we  should  be  discovered,  I  had  much  rather  pledge 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  147 

my  life  than  hazard  my  soul  by  a  false  declaration, 
and  endanger  my  brother's  life.  Without  scrutinis- 
ing the  import  of  my  speech,  she  replied :  "  Remem- 
ber what  you  now  say, — you  will  be  bound  for  him 
on  the  penalty  of  your  life." 

I  smiled  and  answered  that  such  was  my  intention. 
Then,  wishing  her  a  good  night,  I  retired  to  my  own 
bedchamber,  where,  undressing  myself  in  haste  and 
getting  into  bed,  in  order  to  dismiss  the  ladies  and 
maids  of  honour,  and  there  then  remaining  only  my 
chamber-women,  my  brother  came  in,  accompanied 
by  Simier  and  Cange.  Rising  from  my  bed,  we  made 
the  cord  fast,  and  having  looked  out  at  the  window  to 
discover  if  any  one  was  in  the  ditch,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  three  of  my  women,  who  slept  in  my  room, 
and  the  lad  who  had  brought  in  the  rope,  we  let  down 
my  brother,  who  laughed  and  joked  upon  the  occasion 
without  the  least  apprehension,  notwithstanding  the 
height  was  considerable.  We  next  lowered  Simier 
into  the  ditch,  who  was  in  such  a  fright  that  he 
had  scarcely  strength  to  hold  the  rope  fast;  and 
lastly  descended  my  brother's  valet  de  chambre, 
Cange. 

Through  God's  providence  my  brother  got  off  un- 
discovered, and  going  to  Ste.  Genevieve,  he  found 
Bussi  waiting  there  for  him.  By  consent  of  the  ab- 
bot, a  hole  had  been  made  in  the  city  wall,  through 
which  they  passed,  and  horses  being  provided  and  in 
waiting,  they  mounted,  and  reached  Angers  without 
the  least  accident. 

Whilst  we  were  lowering  down  Cange,  who,  as  I 
mentioned  before,  was  the  last,  we  observed  a  man 
rising  out  of  the  ditch,  who  ran  towards  the  lodge 
adjoining  to  the  tennis-court,  in  the  direct  way  lead- 
ing to  the  guard-house.  I  had  no  apprehensions  on 
my  own  account,  all  my  fears  being  absorbed  by  those 


148  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

I  entertained  for  my  brother;  and  now  I  was  almost 
dead  with  alarm,  supposing  this  might  be  a  spy  placed 
there  by  M.  de  Matignon,  and  that  my  brother  would 
be  taken.  Whilst  I  was  in  this  cruel  state  of  anxiety, 
which  can  be  judged  of  only  by  those  who  have  expe- 
rienced a  similar  situation,  my  women  took  a  pre- 
caution for  my  safety  and  their  own,  which  did  not 
suggest  itself  to  me.  This  was  to  burn  the  rope,  that 
it  might  not  appear  to  our  conviction  in  case  the 
man  in  question  had  been  placed  there  to  watch  us. 
This  rope  occasioned  so  great  a  flame  in  burning, 
that  it  set  fire  to  the  chimney,  which,  being  seen 
from  without,  alarmed  the  guard,  who  ran  to  us, 
knocking  violently  at  the  door,  calling  for  it  to  be 
opened. 

I  now  concluded  that  my  brother  was  stopped,  and 
that  we  were  both  undone.  However,  as,  by  the 
blessing  of  God  and  through  his  divine  mercy  alone, 
I  have,  amidst  every  danger  with  which  I  have  been 
repeatedly  surrounded,  constantly  preserved  a  pres- 
ence of  mind  which  directed  what  was  best  to  be 
done,  and  observing  that  the  rope  was  not  more  than 
half  consumed,  I  told  my  women  to  go  to  the  door, 
and  speaking  softly,  as  if  I  was  asleep,  to  ask  the  men 
what  they  wanted.  They  did  so,  and  the  archers  re- 
plied that  the  chimney  was  on  fire,  and  they  came 
to  extinguish  it.  My  women  answered  it  was  of  no 
consequence,  and  they  could  put  it  out  themselves, 
begging  them  not  to  awake  me.  This  alarm  thus 
passed  off  quietly,  and  they  went  away;  but,  in  two 
hours  afterward,  M.  de  Cosse  came  for  me  to  go  to 
the  King  and  the  Queen  my  mother,  to  give  an  ac- 
count of  my  brother's  escape,  of  which  they  had  re- 
ceived intelligence  by  the  Abbot  of  Ste.  Genevieve. 

It  seems  it  had  been  concerted  betwixt  my  brother 
and  the  abbot,  in  order  to  prevent  the  latter  from 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  149 

falling  under  disgrace,  that,  when  my  brother  might 
be  supposed  to  have  reached  a  sufficient  distance,  the 
abbot  should  go  to  Court,  and  say  that  he  had  been 
put  into  confinement  whilst  the  hole  was  being  made, 
and  that  he  came  to  inform  the  King  as  soon  as  he 
had  released  himself. 

I  was  in  bed,  for  it  was  yet  night;  and  rising 
hastily,  I  put  on  my  night-clothes.  One  of  my  women 
was  indiscreet  enough  to  hold  me  round  the  waist, 
and  exclaim  aloud,  shedding  a  flood  of  tears,  that  she 
should  never  see  me  more.  M.  de  Cosse,  pushing  her 
away,  said  to  me :  "If  I  were  not  a  person  thor- 
oughly devoted  to  your  service,  this  woman  has  said 
enough  to  bring  you  into  trouble.  But,"  continued 
he,  "  fear  nothing.  God  be  praised,  by  this  time  the 
Prince  your  brother  is  out  of  danger." 

These  words  were  very  necessary,  in  the  present 
state  of  my  mind,  to  fortify  it  against  the  reproaches 
and  threats  I  had  reason  to  expect  from  the  King. 
I  found  him  sitting  at  the  foot  of  the  Queen  my 
mother's  bed,  in  such  a  violent  rage  that  I  am  inclined 
to  believe  I  should  have  felt  the  effects  of  it,  had  he 
not  been  restrained  by  the  absence  of  my  brother  and 
my  mother's  presence.  They  both  told  me  that  I  had 
assured  them  my  brother  would  not  leave  the  Court, 
and  that  I  pledged  myself  for  his  stay.  I  replied  that 
it  was  true  that  he  had  deceived  me,  as  he  had  them; 
however,  I  was  ready  still  to  pledge  my  life  that  his 
departure  would  not  operate  to  the  prejudice  of  the 
King's  service,  and  that  it  would  appear  he  was  only 
gone  to  his  own  principality  to  give  orders  and  for- 
ward his  expedition  to  Flanders. 

The  King  appeared  to  be  somewhat  mollified  by 
this  declaration,  and  now  gave  me  permission  to  re- 
turn to  my  own  apartments.  Soon  afterwards  he 
received  letters  from  my  brother,  containing  assoir- 


ISO  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS 

ances  of  his  attachment,  in  the  terms  I  had  before 
expressed.  This  caused  a  cessation  of  complaints,  but 
by  no  means  removed  the  King's  dissatisfaction,  who 
made  a  show  of  affording  assistance  to  his  expedi- 
tion, but  was  secretly  using  every  means  to  frustrate 
and  defeat  it. 


LETTER  XX 

I  NOW  renewed  my  application  for  leave  to  go  to 
the  King  my  husband,  which  I  continued  to  press 
on  every  opportunity.  The  King,  perceiving  that 
he  could  not  refuse  my  leave  any  longer,  was  willing 
I  should  depart  satisfied.  He  had  this  further  view 
in  complying  with  my  wishes,  that  by  this  means  he 
should  withdraw  me  from  my  attachment  to  my 
brother.  He  therefore  strove  to  oblige  me  in  every 
way  he  could  think  of,  and,  to  fulfil  the  promise  made 
by  the  Queen  my  mother  at  the  Peace  of  Sens,  he 
gave  me  an  assignment  of  my  portion  in  territory, 
with  the  power  of  nomination  to  all  vacant  benefices 
and  all  offices;  and,  over  and  above  the  customary 
pension  to  the  daughters  of  France,  he  gave  another 
out  of  his  privy  purse. 

He  daily  paid  me  a  visit  in  my  apartment,  in  which 
he  took  occasion  to  represent  to  me  how  useful  his 
friendship  would  be  to  me;  whereas  that  of  my 
brother  could  be  only  injurious, — with  arguments  of 
the  like  kind. 

However,  all  he  could  say  was  insufficient  to  pre- 
vail on  me  to  swerve  from  the  fidelity  I  had  vowed 
to  observe  to  my  brother.  The  King  was  able  to 
draw  from  me  no  other  declaration  than  this:  that  it 
ever  was,  and  should  be,  my  earnest  wish  to  see  my 
brother  firmly  established  in  his  gracious  favour, 
which  he  had  never  appeared  to  me  to  have  forfeited; 
that  I  was  well  assured  he  would  exert  himself  to  the 
utmost  to  regain  it  by  every  act  of  duty  and  merito- 
rious service;  that,  with  respect  to  myself,  I  thought 


152  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

I  was  so  much  obliged  to  him  for  the  great  honoui  he 
did  me  by  repeated  acts  of  generosity,  that  he  might 
be  assured,  when  I  was  with  the  King  my  husband 
I  should  consider  myself  bound  in  duty  to  obey  all 
such  commands  as  he  should  be  pleased  to  give  me; 
and  that  it  would  be  my  whole  study  to  maintain  the 
King  my  husband  in  a  submission  to  his  pleasure. 

My  brother  was  now  on  the  point  of  leaving 
Alengon  to  go  to  Flanders;  the  Queen  my  mother 
was  desirous  to  see  him  before  his  departure.  I 
begged  the  King  to  permit  me  to  take  the  opportunity 
of  accompanying  her  to  take  leave  of  my  brother, 
which  he  granted;  but,  as  it  seemed,  with  great  un- 
willingness. When  we  returned  from  Alengon,  I 
solicited  the  King  to  permit  me  to  take  leave  of  him- 
self, as  I  had  everything  prepared  for  my  journey. 
The  Queen  my  mother  being  desirous  to  go  to 
Gascony,  where  her  presence  was  necessary  for  the 
King's  service,  was  unwilling  that  I  should  depart 
without  her.  When  we  left  Paris,  the  King  accom- 
panied us  on  the  way  as  far  as  his  palace  of  Dolin- 
ville.  There  we  stayed  with  him  a  few  days,  and 
there  we  took  our  leave,  and  in  a  little  time  reached 
Guienne,  which  belonging  to,  and  being  under  the 
government  of  the  King  my  husband,  I  was  every- 
where received  as  Queen.  My  husband  gave  the 
Queen  my  mother  a  meeting  at  Reolle,  which  was 
held  by  the  Huguenots  as  a  cautionary  town;  and 
the  country  not  being  sufficiently  quieted,  she  was 
permitted  to  go  no  further. 

It  was  the  intention  of  the  Queen  my  mother  to 
make  but  a  short  stay;  but  so  many  accidents  arose 
from  disputes  betwixt  the  Huguenots  and  Catholics* 
that  she  was  under  the  necessity  of  stopping  there 
eighteen  months.  As  this  was  very  much  against 
her  inclination,  she  was  sometimes  inclined  to  think 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  153 

there  was  a  design  to  keep  her,  in  order  to  have  the 
company  of  her  maids  of  honour.  For  my  husband 
had  been  greatly  smitten  with  Dayelle,  and  M.  de 
Thurene  was  in  love  with  La  Vergne.  However,  I 
received  every  mark  of  honour  and  attention  from 
the  King  that  I  could  expect  or  desire.  He  related 
to  me,  as  soon  as  we  met,  the  artifices  which  had 
been  put  in  practice  whilst  he  remained  at  Court  to 
create  a  misunderstanding  betwixt  him  and  me;  all 
this,  he  said,  he  knew  was  with  a  design  to  cause  a 
rupture  betwixt  my  brother  and  him,  and  thereby 
ruin  us  all  three,  as  there  was  an  exceeding  great 
jealousy  entertained  of  the  friendship  which  existed 
betwixt  us. 

We  remained  in  the  disagreeable  situation  I  have 
before  described  all  the  time  the  Queen  my  mother 
stayed  in  Gascony;  but,  as  soon  as  she  could  re- 
establish peace,  she,  by  desire  of  the  King  my  hus- 
band, removed  the  King's  lieutenant,  the  Marquis  de 
Villars,  putting  in  his  place  the  Marechal  de  Biron. 
She  then  departed  for  Languedoc,  and  we  conducted 
her  to  Castelnaudary;  where,  taking  our  leave,  we 
returned  to  Pau,  in  Beam;  in  which  place,  the  Catho- 
lic religion  not  being  tolerated,  I  was  only  allowed 
to  have  mass  celebrated. in  a  chapel  of  about  three  or 
four  feet  in  length,  and  so  narrow  that  it  could 
scarcely  hold  seven  or  eight  persons.  During  the 
celebration  of  mass,  the  bridge  of  the  castle  was 
drawn  up  to  prevent  the  Catholics  of  the  town  and 
country  from  coming  to  assist  at  it;  who  having  been, 
for  some  years,  deprived  of  the  benefit  of  follow- 
ing their  own  mode  of  worship,  would  have  gladly 
been  present.  Actuated  by  so  holy  and  laudable  a 
desire,  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  Pau,  on  Whit- 
sunday, found  means  to  get  into  the  castle  before  the 
bridge  was  drawn  up,  and  were  present  at  the  cele- 


154  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

bration  of  mass,  not  being  discovered  until  it  was 
nearly  over.  At  length  the  Huguenots  espied  them, 
and  ran  to  acquaint  Le  Pin,  secretary  to  the  King  my 
husband,  who  was  greatly  in  his  favour,  and  who 
conducted  the  whole  business  relating  to  the  new 
religion.  Upon  receiving  this  intelligence,  Le  Pin 
ordered  the  guard  to  arrest  these  poor  people,  who 
were  severely  beaten  in  my  presence,  and  afterwards 
locked  up  in  prison,  whence  they  were  not  released 
without  paying  a  considerable  fine. 

This  indignity  gave  me  great  offence,  as  I  never 
expected  anything  of  the  kind.  Accordingly,  I  com- 
plained of  it  to  the  King  my  husband,  begging  him 
to  give  orders  for  the  release  of  these  poor  Catholics, 
who  did  not  deserve  to  be  punished  for  coming  to  my 
chapel  to  hear  mass,  a  celebration  of  which  they  had 
been  so  long  deprived  of  the  benefit.  Le  Pin,  with 
the  greatest  disrespect  to  his  master,  took  upon  him 
to  reply,  without  waiting  to  hear  what  the  King  had 
to  say.  He  told  me  that  I  ought  not  to  trouble  the 
King  my  husband  about  such  matters;  that  what 
had  been  done  was  very  right  and  proper;  that  those 
people  had  justly  merited  the  treatment  they  met 
with,  and  all  I  could  say  would  go  for  nothing,  for  it 
must  be  so;  and  that  I  ought  to  rest  satisfied  with 
being  permitted  to  have  mass  said  to  me  and  my 
servants.  This  insolent  speech  from  a  person  of  his 
inferior  condition  incensed  me  greatly,  and  I  en- 
treated the  King  my  husband,  if  I  had  the  least  share 
in  his  good  graces,  to  do  me  justice,  and  avenge  the 
insult  offered  me  by  this  low  man. 

The  King  my  husband,  perceiving  that  I  was 
offended,  as  I  had  reason  to  be,  with  this  gross 
indignity,  ordered  Le  Pin  to  quit  our  presence  im- 
mediately; and,  expressing  his  concern  at  his  secre- 
tary's behaviour,  who,  he  said,  was  overzealous  in 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  155 

the  cause  of  religion,  he  promised  that  he  would 
make  an  example  of  him.  As  to  the  Catholic  pris- 
oners, he  said  he  would  advise  with  his  parliament 
what  ought  to  be  done  for  my  satisfaction. 

Having  said  this,  he  went  to  his  closet,  where  he 
found  Le  Pin,  who,  by  dint  of  persuasion,  made  him 
change  his  resolution;  insomuch  that,  fearing  I 
should  insist  upon  his  dismissing  his  secretary,  he 
avoided  meeting  me.  At  last,  finding  that  I  was 
firmly  resolved  to  leave  him,  unless  he  dismissed  Le 
Pin,  he  took  advice  of  some  persons,  who,  having 
themselves  a  dislike  to  the  secretary,  represented  that 
he  ought  not  to  give  me  cause  of  displeasure  for  the 
sake  of  a  man  of  his  small  importance, — especially 
one  who,  like  him,  had  given  me  just  reason  to  be 
offended;  that,  when  it  became  known  to  the  King 
my  brother  and  the  Queen  my  mother,  they  would 
certainly  take  it  ill  that  he  had  not  only  not  resented 
it,  but,  on  the  contrary,  still  kept  him  near  his 
person. 

This  counsel  prevailed  with  him,  and  he  at  length 
discarded  his  secretary.  The  King,  however,  con- 
tinued to  behave  to  me  with  great  coolness,  being  in- 
fluenced, as  he  afterwards  confessed,  by  the  counsel 
of  M.  de  Pibrac,  who  acted  the  part  of  a  double 
dealer,  telling  me  that  I  ought  not  to  pardon  an  af- 
front offered  by  such  a  mean  fellow,  but  insist  upon 
his  being  dismissed;  whilst  he  persuaded  the  King 
my  husband  that  there  was  no  reason  for  parting  with 
a  man  so  useful  to  him,  for  such  a  trivial  cause.  This 
was  done  by  M.  de  Pibrac,  thinking  I  might  be  in- 
duced, from  such  mortifications,  to  return  to  France, 
where  he  enjoyed  the  offices  of  president  and  King's 
counsellor. 

I  now  met  with  a  fresh  cause  for  disquietude  in  my 
present  situation,  for,  Dayelle  being  gone,  the  King 


156  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

my  husband  placed  his  affections  on  Rebours.  She 
was  an  artful  young  person,  and  had  no  regard  for 
me;  accordingly,  she  did  me  all  the  ill  offices  in  her 
power  with  him.  In  the  midst  of  these  trials,  I  put 
my  trust  in  God,  and  he,  moved  with  pity  by  my 
tears,  gave  permission  for  our  leaving  Pau,  that  "  lit- 
tle Geneva;"  and,  fortunately  for  me,  Rebours  was 
taken  ill  and  stayed  behind.  The  King  my  husband 
no  sooner  lost  sight  of  her  than  he  forgot  her;  he 
now  turned  his  eyes  and  attention  towards  Fos- 
seuse.  She  was  much  handsomer  than  the  other,  and 
was  at  that  time  young,  and  really  a  very  amiable 
person. 

Pursuing  the  road  to  Montauban,  we  stopped  at  a 
little  town  called  Eause,  where,  in  the  night,  the  King 
my  husband  was  attacked  with  a  high  fever,  accom- 
panied with  most  violent  pains  in  his  head.  This 
fever  lasted  for  seventeen  days,  during  which  time  he 
had  no  rest  night  or  day,  but  was  continually  re- 
moved from  one  bed  to  another.  I  nursed  him  the 
whole  time,  never  stirring  from  his  bedside,  and 
never  putting  off  my  clothes.  He  took  notice  of  my 
extraordinary  tenderness,  and  spoke  of  it  to  several 

persons,  and  particularly  to  my  cousin  M ,  who, 

acting  the  part  of  an  affectionate  relation,  restored  me 
to  his  favour,  insomuch  that  I  never  stood  so  highly 
in  it  before.  This  happiness  I  had  the  good  fortune 
to  enjoy  during  the  four  or  five  years  that  I  re- 
mained with  him  in  Gascony. 

Our  residence,  for  the  most  part  of  the  time  I  have 
mentioned,  was  at  Nerac,  where  our  Court  was  so 
brilliant  that  we  had  no  cause  to  regret  our  absence 
from  the  Court  of  France.  We  had  with  us  the 
Princesse  de  Navarre,  my  husband's  sister,  since  mar- 
ried to  the  Due  de  Bar;  there  were  besides  a  number 
of  ladies  belonging  to  myself.  The  King  my  husband 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  157 

was  attended  by  a  numerous  body  of  lords  and  gen- 
tlemen, all  as  gallant  persons  as  I  have  seen  in  any 
Court;  and  we  had  only  to  lament  that  they  were 
Huguenots.  This  difference  of  religion,  however, 
caused  no  dispute  among  us;  the  King  my  husband 
and  the  Princess  his  sister  heard  a  sermon,  whilst  I 
and  my  servants  heard  mass.  I  had  a  chapel  in  the 
park  for  the  purpose,  and,  as  soon  as  the  service  of 
both  religions  was  over,  we  joined  company  in  a  beau- 
tiful garden,  ornamented  with  long  walks  shaded  with 
laurel  and  cypress  trees.  Sometimes  we  took  a  walk 
in  the  park  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  bordered  by  an 
avenue  of  trees  three  thousand  yards  in  length.  The 
rest  of  the  day  was  passed  in  innocent  amusements; 
and  in  the  afternoon,  or  at  night,  we  commonly  had  a 
ball. 

The  King  was  very  assiduous  with  Fbsseuse,  who, 
being  dependent  on  me,  kept  herself  within  the  strict 
bounds  of  honour  and  virtue.  Had  she  always  done 
so,  she  had  not  brought  upon  herself  a  misfortune 
which  has  proved  of  such  fatal  consequence  to  myself 
as  well  as  to  her. 

But  our  happiness  was  too  great  to  be  of  long  con- 
tinuance, and  fresh  troubles  broke  out  betwixt  the 
King  my  husband  and  the  Catholics,  and  gave  rise  to 
a  new  war.  The  King  my  husband  and  the  Marechal 
de  Biron,  who  was  the  King's  lieutenant  in  Guienne, 
had  a  difference,  which  was  aggravated  by  the  Hugue- 
nots. This  breach  became  in  a  short  time  so  wide 
that  all  my  efforts  to  close  it  were  useless.  They 
made  their  separate  complaints  to  the  King.  The 
King  my  husband  insisted  on  the  removal  of  the  Ma- 
rechal de  Biron,  and  the  Marshal  charged  the  King 
my  husband,  and  the  rest  of  those  who  were  of  the 
pretended  reformed  religion,  with  designs  contrary  to 
peace.  I  saw,  with  great  concern,  that  affairs  were 


158  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

likely  soon  to  come  to  an  open  rupture;  and  I  had  no 
power  to  prevent  it. 

The  Marshal  advised  the  King  to  come  to  Guienne 
himself,  saying  that  in  his  presence  matters  might  be 
settled.  The  Huguenots,  hearing  of  this  proposal,  sup- 
posed the  King  would  take  possession  of  their  towns, 
and,  thereupon,  came  to  a  resolution  to  take  up  arms. 
This  was  what  I  feared;  I  was  become  a  sharer  in 
the  King  my  husband's  fortune,  and  was  now  to  be 
in  opposition  to  the  King  my  brother  and  the  religion 
I  had  been  bred  up  in.  I  gave  my  opinion  upon  this 
war  to  the  King  my  husband  and  his  Council,  and 
strove  to  dissuade  them  from  engaging  in  it.  I 
represented  to  them  the  hazards  of  carrying  on  a 
war  when  they  were  to  be  opposed  against  so  able 
a  general  as  the  Marechal  de  Biron,  who  would  not 
spare  them,  as  other  generals  had  done,  he  being  their 
private  enemy.  I  begged  them  to  consider  that,  if  the 
King  brought  his  whole  force  against  them,  with  in- 
tention to  exterminate  their  religion,  it  would  not  be 
in  their  power  to  oppose  or  prevent  it.  But  they  were 
so  headstrong,  and  so  blinded  with  the  hope  of  suc- 
ceeding in  the  surprise  of  certain  towns  in  Languedoc 
and  Gascony,  that,  though  the  King  did  me  the  hon- 
our, upon  all  occasions,  to  listen  to  my  advice,  as  did 
most  of  the  Huguenots,  yet  I  could  not  prevail  on 
them  to  follow  it  in  the  present  situation  of  affairs, 
until  it  was  too  late,  and  after  they  had  found,  to 
their  cost,  that  my  counsel  was  good.  The  torrent 
was  now  burst  forth,  and  there  was  no  possibility 
of  stopping  its  course  until  it  had  spent  its  utmost 
strength. 

Before  that  period  arrived,  foreseeing  the  conse- 
quences, I  had  often  written  to  the  King  and  the 
Queen  my  mother,  to  offer  something  to  the  King 
my  husband  by  way  of  accommodating  matters.  But 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  159 

they  were  bent  against  it,  and  seemed  to  be  pleased 
that  matters  had  taken  such  a  turn,  being  assured 
by  Marechal  de  Biron  that  he  had  it  in  his  power 
to  crush  the  Huguenots  whenever  he  pleased.  In  this 
crisis  my  advice  was  not  attended  to,  the  dissensions 
increased,  and  recourse  was  had  to  arms. 

The  Huguenots  had  reckoned  upon  a  force  more 
considerable  than  they  were  able  to  collect  together, 
and  the  King  my  husband  found  himself  outnumbered 
by  Marechal  de  Biron.  In  consequence,  those  of  the 
pretended  reformed  religion  failed  in  all  their  plans, 
except  their  attack  upon  Cahors,  which  they  took  with 
petards,  after  having  lost  a  great  number  of  men, — 
M.  de  Vezins,  who  commanded  in  the  town,  disputing 
their  entrance  for  two  or  three  days,  from  street  to 
street,  and  even  from  house  to  house.  The  King  my 
husband  displayed  great  valour  and  conduct  upon  the 
occasion,  and  showed  himself  to  be  a  gallant  and 
brave  general.  Though  the  Huguenots  succeeded 
in  this  attempt,  their  loss  was  so  great  that  they 
gained  nothing  from  it.  Marechal  de  Biron  kept 
the  field,  and  took  every  place  that  declared  for 
the  Huguenots,  putting  all  that  opposed  him  to  the 
sword. 

From  the  commencement  of  this  war,  the  King  my 
husband  doing  me  the  honour  to  love  me,  and  com- 
manding me  not  to  leave  him,  I  had  resolved  to  share 
his  fortune,  not  without  extreme  regret,  in  observing 
that  this  war  was  of  such  a  nature  that  I  could  not, 
in  conscience,  wish  success  to  either  side;  for  if  the 
Huguenots  got  the  upper  hand,  the  religion  which  I 
cherished  as  much  as  my  life  was  lost,  and  if  the 
Catholics  prevailed,  the  King  my  husband  was  un^ 
done.  But,  being  thus  attached  to  my  husband,  by 
the  duty  I  owed  him,  and  obliged  by  the  attentions 
he  was  pleased  to  show  me,  I  could  only  acquaint  the 


160  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

King  and  the  Queen  my  mother  with  the  situation  to 
which  I  was  reduced,  occasioned  by  my  advice  to  them 
not  having  been  attended  to.  I,  therefore,  prayed 
them,  if  they  could  not  extinguish  the  flames  of  war 
in  the  midst  of  which  I  was  placed,  at  least  to  give 
orders  to  Marechal  de  Biron  to  consider  the  town  I 
resided  in,  and  three  leagues  round  it,  as  neutral 
ground,  and  that  I  would  get  the  King  my  husband 
to  do  the  same.  This  the  King  granted  me  for  Nerac, 
provided  my  husband  was  not  there;  but  if  he  should 
enter  it,  the  neutrality  was  to  cease,  and  so  to  remain 
as  long  as  he  continued  there.  This  convention  was 
observed,  on  both  sides,  with  all  the  exactness  I  could 
desire.  However,  the  King  my  husband  was  not  to 
be  prevented  from  often  visiting  Nerac,  which  was 
the  residence  of  his  sister  and  me.  He  was  fond  of 
the  society  of  ladies,  and,  moreover,  was  at  that  time 
greatly  enamoured  with  Fosseuse,  who  held  the  place 
in  his  affections  which  Rebours  had  lately  occupied. 
Fosseuse  did  me  no  ill  offices,  so  that  the  King  my 
husband  and  I  continued  to  live  on  very  good  terms, 
especially  as  he  perceived  me  unwilling  to  oppose  his 
inclinations. 

Led  by  such  inducements,  he  came  to  Nerac,  once, 
with  a  body  of  troops,  and  stayed  three  days,  not  being 
able  to  leave  the  agreeable  company  he  found  there. 
Marechal  de  Biron,  who  wished  for  nothing  so  much 
as  such  an  opportunity,  was  apprised  of  it,  and,  under 
pretence  of  joining  M.  de  Cornusson,  the  seneschal  of 
Toulouse,  who  was  expected  with  a  reinforcement  for 
his  army,  he  began  his  march;  but,  instead  of  pursu- 
ing the  road,  according  to  the  orders  he  had  issued,  he 
suddenly  ordered  his  troops  to  file  off  towards  Nerac, 
and,  before  nine  in  the  morning,  his  whole  force  was 
drawn  up  within  sight  of  the  town,  and  within  cannon- 
shot  of  it. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  161 

The  King  my  husband  had  received  intelligence,  the 
evening  before,  of  the  expected  arrival  of  M.  de 
Cornusson,  and  was  desirous  of  preventing  the  junc- 
tion, for  which  purpose  he  resolved  to  attack  him  and 
the  Marshal  separately.  As  he  had  been  lately  joined 
by  M.  de  La  Rochefoucauld,  with  a  corps  of  cavalry 
consisting  of  eight  hundred  men,  formed  from  the 
nobility  of  Saintonge,  he  found  himself  sufficiently 
strong  to  undertake  such  a  plan.  He,  therefore,  set 
out  before  break  of  day  to  make  his  attack  as  they 
crossed  the  river.  But  his  intelligence  did  not  prove 
to  be  correct,  for  De  Cornusson  passed  it  the  evening 
before.  My  husband,  being  thus  disappointed  in  his 
design,  returned  to  Nerac,  and  entered  at  one  gate  just 
as  Marechal  de  Biron  drew  up  his  troops  before  the 
other.  There  fell  so  heavy  a  rain  at  that  moment 
that  the  musketry  was  of  no  use.  The  King  my  hus- 
band, however,  threw  a  body  of  his  troops  into  a 
vineyard  to  stop  the  Marshal's  progress,  not  being  able 
to  do  more  on  account  of  the  unfavourableness  of  the 
weather. 

In  the  meantime,  the  Marshal  continued  with  his 
troops  drawn  up  in  order  of  battle,  permitting  only 
two  or  three  of  his  men  to  advance,  who  challenged 
a  like  number  to  break  lances  in  honour  of  their  mis- 
tresses. The  rest  of  the  army  kept  their  ground,  to 
mask  their  artillery,  which,  being  ready  to  play,  they 
opened  to  the  right  and  left,  and  fired  seven  or  eight 
shots  upon  the  town,  one  of  which  struck  the  palace. 
The  Marshal,  having  done  this,  marched  off,  despatch- 
ing a  trumpeter  to  me  with  his  excuse.  He  ac- 
quainted me  that,  had  I  been  alone,  he  would  on  no 
account  have  fired  on  the  town;  but  the  terms  of 
neutrality  for  the  town,  agreed  upon  by  the  King, 
were,  as  I  well  knew,  in  case  the  King  my  husband 
should  not  be  found  in  it,  and,  if  otherwise,  they  were 


ite  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS 

void.  Besides  which,  his  orders  were  to  attack  the 
King  my  husband  wherever  he  should  find  him. 

I  must  acknowledge  on  every  other  occasion  the 
Marshal  showed  me  the  greatest  respect,  and  appeared 
to  be  much  my  friend.  During  the  war  my  letters 
have  frequently  fallen  into  his  hands,  when  he  as  con- 
stantly forwarded  them  to  me  unopened.  And  when- 
ever my  people  have  happened  to  be  taken  prisoners 
by  his  army,  they  were  always  well  treated  as  soon  as 
they  mentioned  to  whom  they  belonged. 

I  answered  his  message  by  the  trumpeter,  saying 
that  I  well  knew  what  he  had  done  was  strictly  agree- 
able to  the  convention  made  and  the  orders  he  had 
received,  but  that  a  gallant  officer  like  him  would  know 
how  to  do  his  duty  without  giving  his  friends  cause  of 
offence;  that  he  might  have  permitted  me  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  King  my  husband's  company  in  Nerac  for 
three  days,  adding,  that  he  could  not  attack  him,  in 
my  presence,  without  attacking  me;  and  concluding 
that,  certainly,  I  was  greatly  offended  by  his  conduct, 
and  would  take  the  first  opportunity  of  making  my 
complaint  to  the  King  my  brother. 


LETTER  XXI 

THE  war  lasted  some  time  longer,  but  with  dis- 
advantage to  the  Huguenots.  The  King  my 
husband  at  length  became  desirous  to  make  a 
peace.  I  wrote  on  the  subject  to  the  King  and  the 
Queen  my  mother;  but  so  elated  were  they  both  with 
Marechal  de  Biron's  success  that  they  would  not  agree 
to  any  terms. 

About  the  time  this  war  broke  out,  Cambray,  which 
had  been  delivered  up  to  my  brother  by  M.  d'Ainsi, 
according  to  his  engagement  with  me,  as  I  have  before 
related,  was  besieged  by  the  forces  of  Spain.  My 
brother  received  the  news  of  this  siege  at  his  castle  of 
Plessis-les-Tours,  whither  he  had  retired  after  his 
return  from  Flanders,  where,  by  the  assistance  of 
the  Comte  de  Lalain,  he  'had  been  invested  with 
the  government  of  Mons,  Valenciennes,  and  their 
dependencies. 

My  brother,  being  anxious  to  relieve  Cambray,  set 
about  raising  an  army  with  all  the  expedition  possible; 
but,  finding  it  could  not  be  accomplished  very  speedily, 
he  sent  forward  a  reinforcement  under  the  command 
of  M.  de  Balagny,  to  succour  the  place  until  he  arrived 
himself  with  a  sufficient  force  to  raise  the  siege. 
Whilst  he  was  in  the  midst  of  these  preparations  this 
Huguenot  war  broke  out,  and  the  men  he  had  raised 
left  him  to  incorporate  themselves  with  the  King's 
army,  which  had  reached  Gascony. 

My  brother  was  now  without  hope  of  raising  the 
siege,  and  to  lose  Cambray  would  be  attended  with 

163 

Memoirs — 6  Vol.  1 


164  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  loss  of  the  other  countries  he  had  just  obtained. 
Besides,  what  he  should  regret  more,  such  losses 
would  reduce  to  great  straits  M.  de  Balagny  and  the 
gallant  troops  so  nobly  defending  the  place. 

His  grief  on  this  occasion  was  poignant,  and,  as  his 
excellent  judgment  furnished  him  with  expedients 
under  all  his  difficulties,  he  resolved  to  endeavour  to 
bring  about  a  peace.  Accordingly  he  despatched  a 
gentleman  to  the  King  with  his  advice  to  accede  to 
terms,  offering  to  undertake  the  treaty  himself.  His 
design  in  offering  himself  as  negotiator  was  to  prevent 
the  treaty  being  drawn  out  to  too  great  a  length,  as 
might  be  the  case  if  confided  to  others.  It  was 
necessary  that  he  should  speedily  relieve  Cambray, 
for  M.  de  Balagny,  who  had  thrown  himself  into  the 
city  as  I  have  before  mentioned,  had  written  to  him 
that  he  should  be  able  to  defend  the  place  for  six 
months;  but,  if  he  received  no  succours  within  that 
time,  his  provisions  would  be  all  expended,  and  he 
should  be  obliged  to  give  way  to  the  clamours  of  the 
inhabitants,  and  surrender  the  town. 

By  God's  favour,  the  King  was  induced  to  listen  to 
my  brother's  proposal  of  undertaking  a  negotiation 
for  a  peace.  The  King  hoped  thereby  to  disappoint 
him  in  his  expectations  in  Flanders,  which  he  never 
had  approved.  Accordingly  he  sent  word  back  to  my 
brother  that  he  should  accept  his  proffer  of  negotiating 
a  peace,  and  would  send  him  for  his  coadjutors,  M.  de 
Villeroy  and  M.  de  Bellievre.  The  commission  my 
brother  was  charged  with  succeeded,  and,  after  a  stay 
of  seven  months  in  Gascony,  he  settled  a  peace  and 
left  us,  his  thoughts  being  employed  during  the  whole 
time  on  the  means  of  relieving  Cambray,  which  the 
satisfaction  he  found  in  being  with  us  could  not  alto- 
gether abate. 

The  peace  my  brother  made,  as  I  have  just  men- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  165 

tioned,  was  so  judiciously  framed  that  it  gave  equal 
satisfaction  to  the  King  and  the  Catholics,  and  to  the 
King  my  husband  and  the  Huguenots,  and  obtained 
him  the  affections  of  both  parties.  He  likewise 
acquired  from  it  the  assistance  of  that  able  general, 
Marechal  de  Biron,  who  undertook  the  command  of 
the  army  destined  to  raise  the  siege  of  Cambray. 
The  King  my  husband  was  equally  gratified  in  the 
Marshal's  removal  from  Gascony  and  having  Mare- 
chal de  Matignon  in  his  place. 

Before  my  brother  set  off  he  was  desirous  to  bring 
about  a  reconciliation  betwixt  the  King  my  husband 
and  Marechal  de  Biron,  provided  the  latter  should 
make  his  apologies  to  me  for  his  conduct  at  Nerac. 
My  brother  had  desired  me  to  treat  him  with  all  dis- 
dain, but  I  used  this  hasty  advice  with  discretion,  con- 
sidering that  my  brother  might  one  day  or  other  re- 
pent having  given  it,  as  he  had  everything  to  hope, 
in  his  present  situation,  from  the  bravery  of  this 
officer. 

My  brother  returned  to  France  accompanied  by 
Marechal  de  Biron.  By  his  negotiation  of  a  peace  he 
had  acquired  to  himself  great  credit  with  both  parties, 
and  secured  a  powerful  force  for  the  purpose  of  rais- 
ing the  siege  of  Cambray.  But  honours  and  success 
are  followed  by  envy.  The  King  beheld  this  acces- 
sion of  glory  to  his  brother  with  great  dissatisfaction. 
He  had  been  for  seven  months,  while  my  brother  and 
I  were  together  in  Gascony,  brooding  over  his  malice, 
and  produced  the  strangest  invention  that  can  be 
imagined.  He  pretended  to  believe  (what  the  King 
my  husband  can  easily  prove  to  be  false)  that  I  insti- 
gated him  to  go  to  war  that  I  might  procure  for  my 
brother  the  credit  of  making  peace.  This  is  not  at 
all  probable  when  it  is  considered  the  prejudice  my 
brother's  affairs  in  Flanders  sustained  by  the  war. 


166  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

But  envy  and  malice  are  self -deceivers,  and  pretend 
to  discover  what  no  one  else  can  perceive.  On  this 
frail  foundation  the  King  raised  an  altar  of  hatred, 
on  which  he  swore  never  to  cease  till  he  had  accom- 
plished my  brother's  ruin  and  mine.  He  had  never 
forgiven  me  for  the  attachment  I  had  discovered  for 
my  brother's  interest  during  the  time  he  was  in 
Poland  and  since. 

Fortune  chose  to  favour  the  King's  animosity;  for, 
during  the  seven  months  that  my  brother  stayed  in 
Gascony,  he  conceived  a  passion  for  Fosseuse,  who 
was  become  the  doting  piece  of  the  King  my  husband, 
as  I  have  already  mentioned,  since  he  had  quitted 
Rebours.  This  new  passion  in  my  brother  had  in- 
duced the  King  my  husband  to  treat  me  with  cold- 
ness, supposing  that  I  countenanced  my  brother's 
addresses.  I  no  sooner  discovered  this  than  I  remon- 
strated with  my  brother,  as  I  knew  he  would  make 
every  sacrifice  for  my  repose.  I  begged  him  to  give 
over  his  pursuit,  and  not  to  speak  to  her  again.  I 
succeeded  this  way  to  defeat  the  malice  of  my  ill- 
fortune;  but  there  was  still  behind  another  secret 
ambush,  and  that  of  a  more  fatal  nature;  for  Fos- 
seuse, who  was  passionately  fond  of  the  King  my 
husband,  but  had  hitherto  granted  no  favours  incon- 
sistent with  prudence  and  modesty,  piqued  by  his 
jealousy  of  my  brother,  gave  herself  up  suddenly  to 
his  will,  and  unfortunately  became  pregnant.  She 
no  sooner  made  this  discovery,  than  she  altered  her 
conduct  towards  me  entirely  from  what  it  was  before. 
She  now  shunned  my  presence  as  much  as  she  had 
been  accustomed  to  seek  it,  and  whereas  before  she 
strove  to  do  me  every  good  office  with  the  King  my 
husband,  she  now  endeavoured  to  make  all  the  mis- 
chief she  was  able  betwixt  us.  For  his  part,  he 
avoided  me;  he  grew  cold  and  indifferent,  and  since 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  167 

Fosseuse  ceased  to  conduct  herself  with  discretion, 
the  happy  moments  that  we  experienced  during  the 
four  or  five  years  we  were  together  in  Gascony  were 
no  more. 

Peace  being  restored,  and  my  brother  departed  for 
France,  as  I  have  already  related,  the  King  my  hus- 
band and  I  returned  to  Nerac.  We  were  no  sooner 
there  than  Fosseuse  persuaded  the  King  my  husband 
to  make  a  journey  to  the  waters  of  Aigues-Caudes,  in 
Beam,  perhaps  with  a  design  to  rid  herself  of  her 
burden  there.  I  begged  the  King  my  husband  to 
excuse  my  accompanying  him,  as,  since  the  affront 
that  I  had  received  at  Pau,  I  had  made  a  vow  never 
to  set  foot  in  Beam  until  the  Catholic  religion  was 
reestablished  there.  He  pressed  me  much  to  go  with 
him,  and  grew  angry  at  my  persisting  to  refuse  his 
request.  He  told  me  that  his  little  girl  (for  so  he 
affected  to  call  Fosseuse)  was  desirous  to  go  there  on 
account  of  a  colic,  which  she  felt  frequent  returns 
of.  I  answered  that  I  had  no  objection  to  his  taking 
her  with  him.  He  then  said  that  she  could  not  go 
unless  I  went;  that  it  would  occasion  scandal,  which 
might  as  well  be  avoided.  He  continued  to  press  me 
to  accompany  him,  but  at  length  I  prevailed  with  him 
to  consent  to  go  without  me,  and  to  take  her  with 
him,  and,  with  her,  two  of  her  companions,  Rebours 
and  Ville-Savin,  together  with  the  governess.  They 
set  out  accordingly,  and  I  waited  their  return  at 
Baviere. 

I  had  every  day  news  from  Rebours,  informing  me 
how  matters  went.  This  Rebours  I  have  mentioned 
before  to  have  been  the  object  of  my  husband's  pas- 
sion, but  she  was  now  cast  off,  and,  consequently,  was 
no  friend  to  Fosseuse,  who  had  gained  that  place  in 
his  affection  she  had  before  held.  She,  therefore, 
strove  all  she  could  to  circumvent  her;  and,  indeed, 


168  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

she  was  fully  qualified  for  such  a  purpose,  as  she  was 
a  cunning,  deceitful  young  person.  She  gave  me  to 
understand  that  Fosseuse  laboured  to  do  me  every 
ill  office  in  her  power;  that  she  spoke  of  me  with  the 
greatest  disrespect  on  all  occasions,  and  expressed 
her  expectations  of  marrying  the  King  herself,  in  case 
she  should  be  delivered  of  a  son,  when  I  was  to  be 
divorced.  She  had  said,  further,  that  when  the  King 
my  husband  returned  to  Baviere,  he  had  resolved  to 
go  to  Pau,  and  that  I  should  go  with  him,  whether 
I  would  or  not. 

This  intelligence  was  far  from  being  agreeable  to 
me,  and  I  knew  not  what  to  think  of  it.  I  trusted 
in  the  goodness  of  God,  and  I  had  a  reliance  on  the 
generosity  of  the  King  my  husband;  yet  I  passed  the 
time  I  waited  for  his  return  but  uncomfortably,  and 
often  thought  I  shed  more  tears  than  they  drank 
water.  The  Catholic  nobility  of  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Baviere  used  their  utmost  endeavours  to  di- 
vert my  chagrin,  for  the  month  or  five  weeks  that 
the  King  my  husband  and  Fosseuse  stayed  at  Aigues- 
Caudes. 

On  his  return,  a  certain  nobleman  acquainted  the 
King  my  husband  with  the  concern  I  was  under  lest 
he  should  go  to  Pau,  whereupon  he  did  not  press 
me  on  the  subject,  but  only  said  he  should  have  been 
glad  if  I  had  consented  to  go  with  him.  Perceiving, 
by  my  tears  and  the  expressions  I  made  use  of,  that 
I  should  prefer  even  death  to  such  a  journey,  he 
altered  his  intentions  and  we  returned  to  Nerac. 

The  pregnancy  of  Fosseuse  was  now  no  longer  a 
secret.  The  whole  Court  talked  of  it,  and  not  only 
the  Court,  but  all  the  country.  I  was  willing  to  pre- 
vent the  scandal  from  spreading,  and  accordingly 
resolved  to  talk  to  her  on  the  subject.  With  this 
resolution,  I  took  her  into  my  closet,  and  spoke  to 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  169 

her  thus :  "  Though  you  have  for  some  time  es- 
tranged yourself  from  me,  and,  as  it  has  been  reported 
to  me,  striven  to  do  me  many  ill  offices  with  the 
King  my  husband,  yet  the  regard  I  once  had  for 
you,  and  the  esteem  which  I  still  entertain  for  those 
honourable  persons  to  whose  family  you  belong,  do 
not  admit  of  my  neglecting  to  afford  you  all  the  as- 
sistance in  my  power  in  your  present  unhappy  situa- 
tion. I  beg  you,  therefore,  not  to  conceal  the  truth, 
it  being  both  for  your  interest  and  mine,  under  whose 
protection  you  are,  to  declare  it.  Tell  me  the  truth, 
and  I  will  act  towards  you  as  a  mother.  You  know 
that  a  contagious  disorder  has  broken  out  in  the 
place,  and,  under  pretence  of  avoiding  it,  I  will  go  to 
Mas-d'Agenois,  which  is  a  house  belonging  to  the 
King  my  husband,  in  a  very  retired  situation.  I  will 
take  you  with  me,  and  such  other  persons  as  you  shall 
name.  Whilst  we  are  there,  the  King  will  take  the 
diversion  of  hunting  in  some  other  part  of  the  coun- 
try, and  I  shall  not  stir  thence  before  your  delivery. 
By  this  means  we  shall  put  a  stop  to  the  scandalous 
reports  which  are  now  current,  and  which  concern 
you  more  than  myself." 

So  far  from  showing  any  contrition,  or  returning 
thanks  for  my  kindness,  she  replied,  with  the  utmost 
arrogance,  that  she  would  prove  all  those  to  be  liars 
who  had  reported  such  things  of  her;  that,  for  my  part, 
I  had  ceased  for  a  long  time  to  show  her  any  marks 
of  regard,  and  she  saw  that  I  was  determined  upon 
her  ruin.  These  words  she  delivered  in  as  loud  a 
tone  as  mine  had  been  mildly  expressed;  and,  leaving 
me  abruptly,  she  flew  in  a  rage  to  the  King  my  hus- 
band, to  relate  to  him  what  I  had  said  to  her.  He 
was  very  angry  upon  the  occasion,  and  declared  he 
would  make  them  all  liars  who  had  laid  such  things 
to  her  charge.  From  that  moment  until  the  hour  of 


i;o  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

her  delivery,  which  was  a  few  months  after,  he  never 
spoke  to  me. 

She  found  the  pains  of  labour  come  upon  her  about 
daybreak,  whilst  she  was  in  bed  in  the  chamber  where 
the  maids  of  honour  slept.  She  sent  for  my  physi- 
cian, and  begged  him  to  go  and  acquaint  the  King  my 
husband  that  she  was  taken  ill.  We  slept  in  separate 
beds  in  the  same  chamber,  and  had  done  so  for  some 
time. 

The  physician  delivered  the  message  as  he  was 
directed,  which  greatly  embarrassed  my  husband. 
What  to  do  he  did  not  know.  On  the  one  hand,  he 
was  fearful  of  a  discovery;  on  the  other,  he  foresaw 
that,  without  proper  assistance,  there  was  danger  of 
losing  one  he  so  much  loved.  In  this  dilemma,  he 
resolved  to  apply  to  me,  confess  all,  and  implore  my 
aid  and  advice,  well  knowing  that,  notwithstanding 
what  had  passed,  I  should  be  ready  to  do  him  a  pleas- 
ure. Having  come  to  this  resolution,  he  withdrew 
my  curtains,  and  spoke  to  me  thus :  "  My  dear,  I 
have  concealed  a  matter  from  you  which  I  now  con- 
fess. I  beg  you  to  forgive  me,  and  to  think  no  more 
about  what  I  have  said  to  you  on  the  subject.  Will 
you  oblige  me  so  far  as  to  rise  and  go  to  Fosseuse, 
who  is  taken  very  ill?  I  am  well  assured  that,  in 
her  present  situation,  you  will  forget  everything  and 
resent  nothing.  You  know  how  dearly  I  love  her, 
and  I  hope  you  will  comply  with  my  request."  I 
answered  that  I  had  too  great  a  respect  for  him  to  be 
offended  at  anything  he  should  do,  and  that  I  would 
go  to  her  immediately,  and  do  as  much  for  her  as  if 
she  were  a  child  of  my  own.  I  advised  him,  in  the 
meantime,  to  go  out  and  hunt,  by  which  means  he 
would  draw  away  all  his  people,  and  prevent  tattling. 

I  removed  Fosseuse,  with  all  convenient  haste,  from 
the  chamber  in  which  the  maids  of  honours  were,  to 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  171 

one  in  a  more  retired  part  of  the  palace,  got  a  physi- 
cian and  some  women  about  her,  and  saw  that  she 
wanted  for  nothing  that  was  proper  in  her  situation. 
It  pleased  God  that  she  should  bring  forth  a  daughter, 
since  dead.  As  soon  as  she  was  delivered  I  ordered 
her  to  be  taken  back  to  the  chamber  from  which  she 
had  been  brought.  Notwithstanding  these  precau- 
tions, it  was  not  possible  to  prevent  the  story  from 
circulating  through  the  palace.  When  the  King  my 
husband  returned  from  hunting  he  paid  her  a  visit, 
according  to  custom.  She  begged  that  I  might  come 
and  see  her,  as  was  usual  with  me  when  any  one  of 
my  maids  of  honour  was  taken  ill.  By  this  means 
she  expected  to  put  a  stop  to  stories  to  her  prejudice. 
The  King  my  husband  came  from  her  into  my  bed- 
chamber, and  found  me  in  bed,  as  I  was  fatigued  and 
required  rest,  after  having  been  called  up  so  early. 
He  begged  me  to  get  up  and  pay  her  a  visit.  I  told 
him  I  went  according  to  his  desire  before,  when  she 
stood  in  need  of  assistance,  but  now  she  wanted  no 
help;  that  to  visit  her  at  this  time  would  be  only 
exposing  her  more,  and  cause  myself  to  be  pointed  at 
by  all  the  world.  He  seemed  to  be  greatly  displeased 
at  what  I  said,  which  vexed  me  the  more  as  I  thought 
I  did  not  deserve  such  treatment  after  what  I  had 
done  at  his  request  in  the  morning;  she  likewise 
contributed  all  in  her  power  to  aggravate  matters 
betwixt  him  and  me. 

In  the  meantime,  the  King  my  brother,  always  well 
informed  of  what  is  passing  in  the  families  of  the 
nobility  of  his  kingdom,  was  not  ignorant  of  the  trans- 
actions of  our  Court.  He  was  particularly  curious 
to  learn  everything  that  happened  with  us,  and  knew 
every  minute  circumstance  that  I  have  now  related. 
Thinking  this  a  favourable  occasion  to  wreak  his 
vengeance  on  me  for  having  been  the  means  of  my 


THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

brother  acquiring  so  much  reputation  by  the  peace 
he  had  brought  about,  he  made  use  of  the  accident 
that  happened  in  our  Court  to  withdraw  me  from  the 
King  my  husband,  and  thereby  reduce  me  to  the  state 
of  misery  he  wished  to  plunge  me  in.  To  this  pur- 
pose he  prevailed  on  the  Queen  my  mother  to  write 
to  me,  and  express  her  anxious  desire  to  see  me  after 
an  absence  of  five  or  six  years.  She  added  that  a 
journey  of  this  sort  to  Court  would  be  serviceable  to 
the  affairs  of  the  King  my  husband  as  well  as  my 
own;  that  the  King  my  brother  himself  was  desirous 
of  seeing  me,  and  that  if  I  wanted  money  for  the 
journey  he  would  send  it  me.  The  King  wrote  to  the 
same  purpose,  and  despatched  Manique,  the  steward 
of  his  household,  with  instructions  to  use  every  per- 
suasion with  me  to  undertake  the  journey.  The 
length  of  time  I  had  been  absent  in  Gascony,  and 
the  unkind  usage  I  received  on  account  of  Fosseuse, 
contributed  to  induce  me  to  listen  to  the  proposal 
made  me. 

The  King  and  the  Queen  both  wrote  to  me.  I  re- 
ceived three  letters,  in  quick  succession;  and,  that  I 
might  have  no  pretence  for  staying,  I  had  the  sum  of 
fifteen  hundred  crowns  paid  me  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  my  journey.  The  Queen  my  mother  wrote  that  she 
would  give  me  the  meeting  in  Saintonge,  and  that,  if 
the  King  my  husband  would  accompany  me  so  far, 
she  would  treat  with  him  there,  and  give  him  every 
satisfaction  with  respect  to  the  King.  But  the  King 
and  she  were  desirous  to  have  him  at  their  Court,  as 
he  had  been  before  with  my  brother;  and  the  Mare- 
chal  de  Matignon  had  pressed  the  matter  with  the 
King,  that  he  might  have  no  one  to  interfere  with 
him  in  Gascony.  I  had  had  too  long  experience  of 
what  was  to  be  expected  at  their  Court  to  hope  much 
from  all  the  fine  promises  that  were  made  to  me.  I 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS  173 

had  resolved,  however,  to  avail  myself  of  the  oppor- 
tunity of  an  absence  of  a  few  months,  thinking  it 
might  prove  the  means  of  setting  matters  to  rights. 
Besides  which,  I  thought  that,  as  I  should  take  Fos- 
seuse  with  me,  it  was  possible  that  the  King's  passion 
for  her  might  cool  when  she  was  no  longer  in  his 
sight,  or  he  might  attach  himself  to  some  other 
that  was  less  inclined  to  do  me  mischief. 

It  was  with  some  difficulty  that  the  King  my  hus- 
band would  consent  to  a  removal,  so  unwilling  was 
he  to  leave  his  Fosseuse.  He  paid  more  attention  to 
me,  in  hopes  that  I  should  refuse  to  set  out  on  this 
journey  to  France;  but,  as  I  had  given  my  word  in 
my  letters  to  the  King  and  the  Queen  my  mother 
that  I  would  go,  and  as  I  had  even  received  money 
for  the  purpose,  I  could  not  do  otherwise. 

And  herein  my  ill-fortune  prevailed  over  the  reluc- 
tance I  had  to  leave  the  King  my  husband,  after  the 
instances  of  renewed  love  and  regard  which  he  had 
begun  to  show  me. 


THE  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

AND  OF 

MADAME  DE  POMPADOUR 


I 

ON  MADAME  DE  POMPADOUR 

"Madame  de  Pompadour  was  not  merely  a  grisette,  as  her 
enemies  attempted  to  say,  and  as  Voltaire  repeated  in  one  of 
his  malicious  days.  She  was  the  prettiest  woman  in  Paris, 
spirituelle,  elegant,  adorned  with  a  thousand  gifts  and  a  thousand 
talents,  but  with  a  sort  of  sentiment  which  had  not  the  grandeur 
of  an  aristocratic  ambition.  She  loved  the  king  for  himself,  as 
the  finest  man  in  the  kingdom,  as  the  person  who  appeared  to  her 
the  most  admirable.  She  loved  him  sincerely,  with  a  degree  of 
sentimentalism,  if  not  with  a  profound  passion.  Her  ideal  had 
been  on  arriving  at  the  court  to  fascinate  him,  to  keep  him 
amused  by  a  thousand  diversions  suggested  by  art  or  intellect, 
to  make  him  happy  and  contented  in  a  circle  of  ever-changing 
enchantments  and  pleasures.  A  Watteau-like  country,  plays, 
comedies,  pastorals  in  the  shade,  a  continual  embarking  for 
Cytherea,  that  would  have  been  the  setting  she  preferred.  But 
once  she  had  set  foot  on  the  shifting  soil  of  the  court,  she  could 
only  realize  her  ideal  imperfectly.  Naturally  obliging  and  good- 
hearted,  she  had  to  face  enmity  open  and  concealed,  and  to  take 
the  offensive  to  avoid  her  downfall.  Necessity  drove  her  into 
politics,  and  to  become  a  minister  of  state.  Madame  de  Pom- 
padour can  be  considered  as  the  last  king's  mistress,  deserving 
of  the  name.  The  race  of  the  royal  mistresses  can  then  be  said, 
if  not  ended,  to  have  been  at  least  greatly  broken.  And  Madame 
de  Pompadour  remains  in  our  eyes  the  last  in  our  history,  and 
the  most  brilliant." 

SAINTE-BEUVE. 


INTRODUCTION 

IT  is  one  of  the  oldest  of  truisms  that  truth  is 
stranger  than  fiction.  The  present  volume  is  but  an- 
other striking  example  in  point.  The  legend  of  King 
Cophetua  and  the  Beggar  Maid  palls  before  the  his- 
toric story  of  a  certain  Jeanne  Poisson,  an  obscure 
French  girl  who  won  a  king's  favor  and  wielded  his 
sceptre  for  twenty  years.  We  do  not  hear  anything 
further  from  the  Beggar  Maid,  after  she  became  queen; 
but  the  famous  Pompadour  became  the  most  powerful 
figure  of  her  day  in  all  France,  not  excepting  the  king 
himself. 

These  veritable  Memoirs  of  her  reign  are  ascribed 
to  her  attendant,  Madame  du  Hausset,  a  woman  of 
good  family  and,  above  all,  of  good  memory,  who  has 
here  given  us  a  faithful  account  of  her  remarkable 
subject.  Her  opportunities  for  exact  knowledge  may 
be  gathered  from  her  mistress's  own  words :  "  The 
king  and  I  trust  you  so  completely  that  we  look  upon 
you  as  we  might  a  cat  or  a  dog,  and  talk  ahead  with 
as  much  freedom  as  though  you  were  not  there."  And 
the  critic,  Sainte-Beuve,  adds :  "  When  the  destiny  of 
a  nation  is  in  a  woman's  bedroom,  the  best  place  for 
the  historian  is  in  the  ante-chamber.  Madame  du 
Hausset  seemed  created  for  this  role  of  a  Suetonius 
by  her  position  and  her  character.  ...  A  good 
woman,  furthermore,  incapable  of  lying,  and  remain- 
ing on  the  whole  quite  respectable." 

After  the  death  of  Madame  de  Pompadour,  the 
journal  of  this  waiting-woman  fell  into  the  hands  of 
M.  de  Marigny,  brother  of  the  favorite,  with  whom 

179 


i8o  INTRODUCTION 

it  remained  in  manuscript  form  for  some  years.  It 
was  finally  published,  in  1802,  ostensibly  as  "  Drawn 

from  the  Portfolio  of  the  Marechale  D by  Sou- 

lavie " ;  but  the  French  editors,  MM.  Vitrac  and 
Galopin,  assert  that  Soulavie  only  lent  his  name  to 
the  work.  They  also  call  attention  to  the  fact  that 
a  History  of  Madame  de  Pompadour,  by  Mile.  Fouque, 
was  published  in  London,  as  early  as  1759.  But  no 
such  general  history,  or  biography,  could  possibly  have 
the  intimate  value  of  a  document  written  at  the  closest 
range  of  its  subject.  "  These  Memoirs,"  say  the 
French  editors,  "  give  a  faithful  portrait  of  Madame 
de  Pompadour.  .  .  .  They  are  clearly  hostile,  as  are 
nearly  all  documents  preserved  about  her;  for  it  was 
one  of  the  evil  fortunes  of  Madame  de  Pompadour  to 
be  made  known  to  us  chiefly  through  her  enemies, 
D'Argenson,  the  Due  de  Luynes,  and  Richelieu." 

The  above  opinion  sums  up  neatly  the  consensus  of 
historical  opinion  concerning  this  famous  woman.  She 
has,  indeed,  been  in  the  hands  of  her  enemies,  ever 
since  the  day  of  her  death,  in  1764.  But  this  fact 
is  not  surprising.  The  mistress  of  a  weak  monarch, 
she  made  use  of  her  large  influence  over  him  to 
further  her  own  ends  and  appoint  her  own  ministers 
to  power.  She  was,  in  fact,  "  the  King."  Michelet, 
the  historian,  asserts  in  so  many  words  that  she 
"  reigned  twenty  years,"  and  he  admits  that  "  although 
of  mean  birth,  she  had  some  patriotic  ideas."  How- 
ever, leaving  the  question  of  her  political  career  aside, 
for  the  moment,  the  reader  will  be  interested  to  make 
the  acquaintance  of  this  remarkable  woman,  herself. 
Who  was  she?  What  was  the  secret  of  her  long  con- 
tinued hold  upon  the  King?  Louis  XV.  was  a  noto- 
riously fickle  monarch,  whose  many  amours  have 
become  a  part  of  history.  But  none  exercised  the  in- 
fluence over  him — and  over  all  France,  through  him — 


INTRODUCTION  181 

as  did  this  person  of  "  mean  birth."  Even  her  enemies 
have  had  to  admit  her  wonderful  executive  ability,  in 
addition  to  her  womanly  charms.  These  Memoirs, 
though  rambling  and  without  strict  sequence,  answer 
our  many  questions  interestingly.  They  have  been 
written,  very  evidently,  by  an  inmate  of  the  house- 
hold. They  give,  in  addition,  much  of  the  secret  his- 
tory of  the  Court  at  this  important  period,  and  point 
out,  to  the  discerning  reader,  a  few  of  the  chief  causes 
which  were  to  make  possible  the  French  Revolution,  at 
the  century's  close. 

Madame  de  Pompadour's  elevation  to  power  was 
the  result  neither  of  chance  nor  of  romance.  It  was 
brought  about  by  a  carefully  laid  plan,  on  the  part 
of  her  parents  and  certain  scheming  politicians,  to 
make  use  of  a  beautiful  girl  to  advance  their  own 
interests.  Jeanne  Poisson  was  born  in  1722,  and  at 
an  early  age  gave  evidence  of  such  unusual  qualities, 
that  her  mother  and  her  guardian,  M.  Le  Normant  de 
Tournehem  (who  also  is  believed  to  be  her  father), 
devoted  their  energies  to  making  her  worthy  of  a 
place  at  court.  She  had  a  fine  natural  talent  for  music, 
drawing,  and  engraving — some  excellent  examples  of 
her  work  in  the  latter  field  still  being  preserved — and 
she  united  with  these  a  rare  physical  beauty.  M. 
Leroy,  Keeper  of  the  Park  of  Versailles,  thus  describes 
her  at  the  time  of  her  meeting  with  the  King :  "  She 
was  taller  than  the  average,  graceful,  supple,  and  ele- 
gant. Her  features  comported  well  with  her  stature, 
a  perfect  oval  face,  framed  by  beautiful  hair  of  a  light 
shade,  large  eyes  marked  by  eyebrows  of  the  same  hue, 
a  perfect  nose,  a  charming  mouth,  teeth  of  exceptional 
beauty  displayed  in  a  delicious  smile,  the  rarest  of 
complexions,"  etc.,  etc.  He  continues  his  superlative 
adjectives,  indicating  that  the  King  was  not  the  only 
susceptible  person  in  the  Park,  finally  adding:  "The 


182  INTRODUCTION 

features  of  the  Marquise  were  lighted  by  the  play  of 
infinite  variety,  but  never  could  one  perceive  any  dis- 
cordance. All  was  harmony  and  grace."  Truly,  a 
worthy  portrait  of  a  famous  beauty! 

At  the  age  of  nineteen,  Mile.  Poisson  gave  her 
hand  to  a  kinsman  of  her  guardian,  M.  Le  Normant 
d'Etoiles.  The  marriage  seems  to  have  been  the  result 
of  a  sincere  passion  on  his  part,  but  was  looked  upon 
merely  as  a  matter  of  convenience  by  everybody  else; 
for  not  long  thereafter  we  find  her  luring  the  King 
with  her  "  delicious  smile,"  while  he  was  hunting  in 
the  forest  of  Senart;  and  in  1745  she  was  formally  in- 
stalled at  Court,  under  the  title  of  the  Marquise  de 
Pompadour.  This  story,  unadorned,  may  sound  pal- 
try, even  commercial,  but  we  should  not  fall  into  the 
error  of  judging  it  by  twentieth  century  standards. 
The  morals  of  the  French  Court,  never  austere,  were 
especially  lax  in  the  reign  of  Louis  XV.,  and  galan- 
teries  were  the  fashion,  rather  than  the  exception; 
while  for  the  post  of  King's  favorite  there  was  a 
continual  rivalry  among  high-born  dames. 

Once  in  this  coveted  position,  the  Marquise  devoted 
her  energies  to  two  things,  and  these  she  kept  ever 
before  her,- — the  pleasing  of  her  royal  master,  and  the 
furthering  of  her  party's  interests.  How  well  she  suc- 
ceeded, this  book  shows.  She  entertained  and  amused 
the  King  by  elaborate  pageants,  in  the  various  cha- 
teaux which  she  built,  or  remodelled.  Bellevue,  Choisy, 
the  Hermitage  at  Versailles,  Menars,  La  Celle,  Montre- 
tout, — these  are  among  the  monuments  of  her  lavish 
career,  and  in  these  palaces  she  accumulated  costly  art 
objects,  such  as  the  Saxe  porcelains,  the  Boulle  mar- 
bles, and  the  sumptuous  hangings  and  fittings  which 
have  later  been  known  as  "  Pompadour."  Herself  an 
artist  and  connoisseur,  she  "  set  the  pace  "  during  a 
period  of  unbridled  luxury.  She  was  patroness  of  the 


INTRODUCTION  183 

famous  Sevres  ware.  She  drew  around  her  such 
painters  and  litterateurs  as  Bouchardon,  Carle  Van 
Loo,  Marmontel,  Bernis,  Crebillon,  and  Duclos.  To 
her  Voltaire  dedicated  his  Tancrede. 

This  was  her  brilliant  side;  but  upon  the  deplorable 
side  must  be  reckoned  her  extravagance  and  her  med- 
dling in  statecraft.  Ambitious  for  power,  she  sur- 
rounded the  doting  monarch  with  her  "  creatures  " — 
Rouille,  Saint  Florentin,  Puisieux,  Machault.  With 
the  exception  of  the  Due  de  Choiseul,  her  appointees 
were  notoriously  weak — and  this  at  a  time  when  the 
War  of  the  Austrian  Succession  and  the  Seven  Years' 
War  called  for  strong  government.  Won  over  by  the 
cajoleries  of  Maria  Theresa,  who  called  her  "  cousin," 
she  induced  the  King  to  accept  the  Austrian  Alliance; 
and  again,  in  1758,  despite  Bernis  and  other  ministers, 
she  prevailed  upon  him  to  maintain  it  throughout  the 
disastrous  war  which  was  only  ended  by  the  Treaty 
of  Paris.  In  addition  to  this,  she  became  embroiled 
with  the  Church  party,  being  especially  bitter  against 
the  Jesuits.  It  is  no  wonder,  therefore,  that  she  left 
her  memory  in  the  hands  of  her  enemies.  It  is  no 
wonder  that  the  seeds  of  her  folly  and  extravagance, 
as  well  as  those  of  her  successor,  Du  Barry,  resulted 
in  the  bloody  harvest  of  the  Revolution.  "  Apres  nous 
le  deluge !  "  ("  After  us  the  deluge  ")  was  her  sinister 
motto,  now  famous  in  history,  and  it  carried  with  it 
the  weight  of  prophecy. 

To  the  end  she  remained,  exteriorally,  in  full  power. 
In  1752  the  Marquise  was  made  Duchesse  de  Pompa- 
dour; and  four  years  later  "  Dame  d'Honneur  "  to  the 
Queen,  a  title  of  charmingly  unconscious  irony !  The 
day  of  her  demise  (1764)  was  stormy,  and  the  King 
is  said  to  have  been  genuinely  grieved  over  the  loss, 
remarking :  "  Madame  la  Marquise  has  ill  weather  for 
her  journey." 


184  INTRODUCTION 

But  to  the  last  she  herself  was  charming,  debon- 
naire,  masterful.  She  had  smiled  her  way  into  power, 
and  she  smiled  even  in  the  face  of  death.  "  She  felt 
it  a  duty  to  maintain  to  the  end  the  pose  of  elegance 
which  she  had  established  for  herself,"  say  her  French 
critics.  "  For  the  last  time  she  applied  the  touch  of 
rouge  to  her  cheeks,  by  which  she  had  hidden,  for 
several  years,  the  slow  ravages  of  decay;  set  her  lips 
in  a  final  smile;  and  with  the  air  of  a  coquette  uttered 
to  the  priest,  who  extended  to  her  the  last  rites  of  reli- 
gion, this  laughing  quip  (mot  d'elegance)  :  "  Attendez- 
moi,  monsieur  le  cure,  nous  parti rons  ensemble " 
( "  Wait  a  moment,  monsieur,  and  we  will  set  forth 
together  "). 


THE  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

AND  OF 

MADAME  DE  POMPADOUR 

SECTION  I 

A  I  early  friend  of  mine,  who  married  well  at 
Paris,  and  who  has  the  reputation  of  being  a 
very  clever  woman,  has  often  asked  me  to 
write  down  what  daily  passed  under  my  notice;  to 
please  her,  I  made  little  notes,  of  three  or  four  lines 
each,  to  recall  to  my  memory  the  most  singular  or 
interesting  facts;  as,  for  instance — attempt  to  assas- 
sinate the  King;  he  orders  Madame  de  Pompadour 
to  leave  the  Court;  M.  de  Machanlt's  ingratitude,  etc. 
I  always  promised  my  friend  that  I  would,  some  time 
or  other,  reduce  all  these  materials  into  the  form  of  a 
regular  narrative.  She  mentioned  the  "  Recollections 
of  Madame  de  Caylus,"  which  were,  however,  not 
then  printed;  and  pressed  me  so  much  to  produce 
a  similar  work,  that  I  have  taken  advantage  of  a  few 
leisure  moments  to  write  this,  which  I  intend  to  give 
her,  in  order  that  she  may  arrange  it  and  correct  the 
style.  I  was  for  a  long  time  about  the  person  of 
Madame  de  Pompadour,  and  my  birth  procured  for 
me  respectful  treatment  from  herself,  and  from  some 
distinguished  persons  who  conceived  a  regard  for  me. 
I  soon  became  the  intimate  friend  of  Doctor  Quesnay, 
who  frequently  came  to  pass  two  or  three  hours 
with  me. 

185 


186  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

His  house  was  frequented  by  people  of  all  parties, 
but  the  number  was  small,  and  restricted  to  those 
who  were  on  terms  of  greatest  intimacy  with  him. 
All  subjects  were  handled  with  the  utmost  freedom, 
and  it  is  infinitely  to  his  honour  and  theirs  that 
nothing  was  ever  repeated. 

The  Countess  D also  visited  me.  She  was  a 

frank  and  lively  woman,  and  much  liked  by  Madame 
de  Pompadour.  The  Baschi  family  paid  me  great 
attention.  M.  de  Marigny  had  received  some  little 
services  from  me,  in  the  course  of  the  frequent  quar- 
rels between  him  and  his  sister,  and  he  had  a  great 
friendship  for  me.  The  King  was  in  the  constant 
habit  of  seeing  me;  and  an  accident,  which  I  shall 
have  occasion  to  relate,  rendered  him  very  familiar 
with  me.  He  talked  without  any  constraint  when  I 
was  in  the  room.  .  During  Madame  de  Pompadour's 
illness  I  scarcely  ever  left  her  chamber,  and  passed 
the  night  there.  Sometimes,  though  rarely,  I  accom- 
panied her  in  her  carriage  with  Doctor  Quesnay,  to 
whom  she  scarcely  spoke  a  word,  though  he  was  a 
man  of  great  talents.  When  I  was  alone  with  her, 
she  talked  of  many  affairs  which  nearly  concerned 
her,  and  she  once  said  to  me,  "  The  King  and  I  have 
such  implicit  confidence  in  you,  that  we  look  upon 
you  as  a  cat,  or  a  dog,  and  go  on  talking  as  if  you 
were  not  there."  There  was  a  little  nook,  adjoin- 
ing her  chamber,  which  has  since  been  altered,  where 
she  knew  I  usually  sat  when  I  was  alone,  and  where 
I  heard  everything  that  was  said  in  the  room,  unless 
it  was  spoken  in  a  low  voice.  But  when  the  King 
wanted  to  speak  to  her  in  private,  or  in  the  presence 
of  any  of  his  Ministers,  he  went  with  her  into  a 
closet,  by  the  side  of  the  chamber,  whither  she  also 
retired  when  she  had  secret  business  with  the  Min- 
isters, or  with  other  important  persons;  as,  for 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     187 

instance,  the  Lieutenant  of  Police,  the  Postmaster- 
General,  etc.  All  these  circumstances  brought  to 
my  knowledge  a  great  many  things  which  probity 
•will  neither  allow  me  to  tell  or  to  record.  I  gener- 
ally wrote  without  order  of  time,  so  that  a  fact  may 
be  related  before  others  which  preceded  it.  Madame 
de  Pompadour  had  a  great  friendship  for  three  Min- 
isters; the  first  was  M.  de  Machault,  to  whom  she 
was  indebted  for  the  regulation  of  her  income,  and 
the  payment  of  her  debts.  She  gave  him  the  seals, 
and  he  retained  the  first  place  in  her  regard  till  the 
attempt  to  assassinate  the  King.  Many  people  said 
that  his  conduct  on  that  occasion  was  not  attributable 
to  bad  intentions;  that  he  thought  it  his  duty  to  obey 
the  King  without  making  himself  in  any  way  a  party 
to  the  affair,  and  that  his  cold  manners  gave  him  the 
appearance  of  an  indifference  which  he  did  not  feel. 
Madame  de  Pompadour  regarded  him  in  the  light  of 
a  faithless  friend;  and,  perhaps,  there  was  some  jus- 
tice on  both  sides.  But  for  the  Abbe  de  Bernis,  M. 
de  Machault  might,  probably,  have  retained  his  place. 
The  second  Minister,  whom  Madame  de  Pompadour 
liked,  was  the  Abbe  de  Bernis.  She  was  soon  dis- 
gusted with  him  when  she  saw  the  absurdity  of  his 
conduct.  He  gave  a  singular  specimen  of  this  on  the 
very  day  of  his  dismissal.  He  had  invited  a  great 
many  people  of  distinction  to  a  splendid  entertain- 
ment, which  was  to  have  taken  place  on  the  very  day 
when  he  received  his  order  of  banishment,  and  had 
written  in  the  notes  of  invitation — M.  Le  Comte  de 
Lusace  will  be  there.  This  Count  was  the  brother  of 
the  Dauphine,  and  this  mention  of  him  was  deserv- 
edly thought  impertinent.  The  King  said,  wittily 
enough,  "  Lambert  and  Moliere  will  be  there."  She 
scarcely  ever  spoke  of  the  Cardinal  de  Bernis  after 
his  dismissal  from  the  Court. 


i88  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

He  was  extremely  ridiculous,  but  he  was  a  good 
sort  of  man.  Madame,  the  Infanta,  died  a  little  time 
before,  and,  by  the  way,  of  such  a  complication  of 
putrid  and  malignant  diseases,  that  the  Capuchins 
who  bore  the  body,  and  the  men  who  committed  it 
to  the  grave,  were  overcome  by  the  effluvia.  Her 
papers  appeared  no  less  impure  in  the  eyes  of  the 
King.  He  discovered  that  the  Abbe  de  Bernis  had 
been  intriguing  with  her,  and  that  they  had  deceived 
him,  and  had  obtained  the  Cardinal's  hat  by  making 
use  of  his  name.  The  King  was  so  indignant  that  he 
was  very  near  refusing  him  the  barrette.  He  did 
grant  it — but  just  as  he  would  have  thrown  a  bone  to 
a  dog.  The  Abbe  had  always  the  air  of  a  protege 
when  he  was  in  the  company  of  Madame  de  Pompa- 
dour. She  had  known  him  in  positive  distress.  The 
Due  de  Choiseul  was  very  differently  situated;  his 
birth,  his  air,  his  manners,  gave  him  claims  to  con- 
sideration, and  he  far  exceeded  every  other  man  in 
the  art  of  ingratiating  himself  with  Madame  de  Pom- 
padour. She  looked  upon  him  as  one  of  the  most 
illustrious  nobles  of  the  Court,  as  the  most  able 
Minister,  and  the  most  agreeable  man.  M.  de  Choi- 
seul had  a  sister  and  a  wife,  whom  he  had  introduced 
to  her,  and  who  sedulously  cultivated  her  favourable 
sentiments  towards  him.  From  the  time  he  was 
Minister,  she  saw  only  with  his  eyes;  he  had  the 
talent  of  amusing  her,  and  his  manners  to  women, 
generally,  were  extremely  agreeable. 

Two  persons — the  Lieutenant  of  Police  and  the 
Postmaster-General — were  very  much  in  Madame 
de  Pompadour's  confidence;  the  latter,  however,  be- 
came less  necessary  to  her  from  the  time  that  the 
King  communicated  to  M.  de  Choiseul  the  secret  of 
the  post-office,  that  is  to  say,  the  system  of  opening 
letters  and  extracting  matter  from  them:  this  had 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     189 

never  been  imparted  to  M.  d'Argenson,  in  spite  of  the 
high  favour  he  enjoyed.  I  have  heard  that  M.  de 
Choiseul  abused  the  confidence  reposed  in  him,  and 
related  to  his  friends  the  ludicrous  stories,  and  the 
love  affairs  contained  in  the  letters  which  were 
broken  open.  The  plan  they  pursued,  as  I  have 
heard,  was  very  simple.  Six  or  seven  clerks  of  the 
post-office  picked  out  the  letters  they  were  ordered  to 
break  open,  and  took  the  impression  of  the  seals  with 
a  ball  of  quicksilver.  Then  they  put  each  letter, 
with  the  seal  downwards,  over  a  glass  of  hot  water, 
which  melted  the  wax  without  injuring  the  paper. 
It  was  then  opened,  the  desired  matter  extracted,  and 
it  was  sealed  again,  by  means  of  the  impression. 
This  is  the  account  of  the  matter  I  have  heard. 
The  Postmaster-General  carried  the  extracts  to  the 
King  on  Sundays.  He  was  seen  coming  and  going 
on  this  noble  errand  as  openly  as  the  Ministers. 
Doctor  Quesnay  often,  in  my  presence,  flew  in  such  a 
rage  about  that  infamous  Minister,  as  he  called  him, 
that  he  foamed  at  the  mouth.  "  I  would  as  soon 
dine  with  the  hangman  as  with  the  Postmaster- 
General,"  said  the  Doctor.  It  must  be  acknowl- 
edged that  this  was  astonishing  language  to  be 
uttered  in  the  apartments  of  the  King's  mistress; 
yet  it  went  on  for  twenty  years  without  being  talked 
of.  "  It  was  probity  speaking  with  earnestness,"  said 
M.  de  Marigny,  "  and  not  a  mere  burst  of  spite  or 
malignity." 

The  Due  de  Gontaut  was  the  brother-in-law  and 
friend  of  M.  de  Choiseul,  and  was  assiduous  in  his 
attendance  on  Madame  de  Pompadour.  The  sister  of 
M.  de  Choiseul,  Madame  de  Grammont,  and  his  wife 
were  equally  constant  in  their  attentions.  This  will 
sufficiently  account  for  the  ascendency  of  M.  de 
Choiseul,  whom  nobody  would  have  ventured  to 


MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

attack.  Chance,  however,  discovered  to  me  a  secret 
correspondence  of  the  King,  with  a  man  in  a  very 
obscure  station.  This  man,  who  had  a  place  in  the 
Farmers  General,  of  from  two  to  three  hundred  a 
year,  was  related  to  one  of  the  young  ladies  of  the 
Parc-aux-cerfs,  by  whom  he  was  recommended  to  the 
King.  He  was  also  connected  in  some  way  with  M. 
de  Broglie,  in  whom  the  King  placed  great  confi- 
dence. Wearied  with  finding  that  this  correspond- 
ence procured  him  no  advancement,  he  took  the 
resolution  of  writing  to  me,  and  requesting  an  inter- 
view, which  I  granted,  after  acquainting  Madame  de 
Pompadour  with  the  circumstance.  After  a  great 
deal  of  preamble  and  of  flattery,  he  said  to  me,  "  Can 
you  give  me  your  word  of  hour,  and  that  of 
Madame  de  Pompadour,  that  no  mention  whatever 
of  what  I  am  going  to  tell  you  will  be  made  to  the 
King?"  "I  think  I  can  assure  you  that,  if  you 
require  such  a  promise  from  Madame  de  Pompadour, 
and  if  it  can  produce  no  ill  consequence  to  the  King's 
service,  she  will  give  it  you."  He  gave  me  his  word 
that  what  he  requested  would  have  no  bad  effect; 
upon  which  I  listened  to  what  he  had  to  say.  He 
shewed  me  several  memorials,  containing  accusations 
of  M.  de  Choiseul,  and  revealed  some  curious  circum- 
stances relative  to  the  secret  functions  of  the  Comte 
de  Broglie.  These,  however,  led  rather  to  conjec- 
tures than  to  certainty,  as  to  the  nature  of  the 
services  he  rendered  to  the  King.  Lastly,  he  shewed 
me  several  letters  in  the  King's  handwriting.  ''  I 
request,"  said  he,  "  that  the  Marquise  de  Pompadour 
will  procure  for  me  the  place  of  Receiver-General  of 
Finances;  I  will  give  her  information  of  whatever 
I  send  the  King;  I  will  write  according  to  her 
instructions,  and  I  will  send  her  his  answers."  As  I 
did  not  choose  to  take  liberties  with  the  King's 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     191 

papers,  I  only  undertook  to  deliver  the  memorials. 
Madame  de  Pompadour  having  given  me  her  word 
according  to  the  conditions  on  which  I  had  received 
the  communication,  I  revealed  to  her  everything  I 
had  heard.  She  sent  the  memorials  to  M.  de 
Choiseul,  who  thought  them  very  maliciously  and 
very  cleverly  written.  Madame  de  Pompadour  and 
he  had  a  long  conference  as  to  the  reply  that  was  to 
be  given  to  the  person  by  whom  those  disclosures 
were  made.  What  I  was  commissioned  to  say  was 
this:  that  the  place  of  Receiver-General  was  at 
present  too  important,  and  would  occasion  too  much 
surprise  and  speculation;  that  it  would  not  do  to  go 
beyond  a  place  worth  fifteen  thousand  to  twenty 
thousand  francs  a  year;  that  they  had  no  desire  to 
pry  into  the  King's  secrets;  and  that  his  correspond- 
ence ought  not  to  be  communicated  to  any  one;  that 
this  did  not  appty  to  papers  like  those  of  which  I  was 
the  bearer,  which  might  fall  into  his  hands;  that  he 
would  confer  an  obligation  by  communicating  them, 
in  order  that  blows  aimed  in  the  dark,  and  directed 
by  malignity  and  imposture,  might  be  parried.  The 
answer  was  respectful  and  proper,  in  what  related  to 
the  King;  it  was,  however,  calculated  to  counteract 
the  schemes  of  the  Comte  de  Broglie,  by  making  M. 
de  Choiseul  acquainted  with  his  attacks,  and  with  the 
nature  of  the  weapons  he  employed.  It  was  from 
the  Count  that  he  received  statements  relating  to  the 
war  and  to  the  navy;  but  he  had  no  communication 
with  him  concerning  foreign  affairs,  which  the  Count, 
as  it  was  said,  transacted  immediately  with  the 
King.  The  Due  de  Choiseul  got  the  man  who  spoke 
to  me  recommended  to  the  Controller-General,  with- 
out his  appearing  in  the  business;  he  had  the  place 
which  was  agreed  upon,  and  the  hope  of  a  still 
better,  and  he  entrusted  to  me  the  King's  corre- 


192  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

spondence,  which  I  told  him  I  should  not  mention  to 
Madame  de  Pompadour,  according  to  her  injunctions. 
He  sent  several  memorials  to  M.  de  Choiseul,  con- 
taining accusations  of  him,  addressed  to  the  King. 
This  timely  information  enabled  him  to  refute  them 
triumphantly. 

The  King  was  very  fond  of  having  little  private 
correspondences,  very  often  unknown  to  Madame  de 
Pompadour:  she  knew,  however,  of  the  existence  of 
some,  for  he  passed  part  of  his  mornings  in  writing 
to  his  family,  to  the  King  of  Spain,  to  Cardinal 
Tencin,  to  the  Abbe  de  Broglie,  and  also  to  some 
obscure  persons.  "  It  is,  doubtless,  from  such  people 
as  these,"  said  she  to  me,  one  day,  "  that  the  King 
learns  expressions  which  perfectly  surprise  me.  For 
instance,  he  said  to  me  yesterday,  when  he  saw  a  man 
pass  with  an  old  coat  on,  f  il  y  a  Id  un  habit  bien  ex  a" 
mine!  He  once  said  to  me,  when  he  meant  to  express 
that  a  thing  was  probable,  '  il  y  a  gros';  I  am  told 
this  is  a  saying  of  the  common  people,  meaning,  il  y  a 
gros  a  parier."  I  took  the  liberty  to  say,  "  But  is  it 
not  more  likely  from  his  young  ladies  at  the  Pare, 
that  he  learns  these  elegant  expressions?"  She 
laughed,  and  said,  "  You  are  right ;  il  y  a  gros."  The 
King,  however,  used  these  expressions  designedly,  and 
with  a  laugh. 

The  King  knew  a  great  many  anecdotes,  and  there 
were  people  enough  who  furnished  him  with  such  as 
were  likely  to  mortify  the  self-love  of  others.  One 
day,  at  Choisy,  he  went  into  a  room  where  some 
people  were  employed  about  embroidered  furniture, 
to  see  how  they  were  going  on;  and  looking  out  of 
the  window,  he  saw  at  the  end  of  a  long  avenue  two 
men  in  the  Choisy  uniform.  "  Who  are  those  two 
noblemen  ?  "  said  he.  Madame  de  Pompadour  took 
up  her  glass,  and  said,  "  They  are  the  Due  d'Aumont, 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     193 

and   ."     "Ah!"    said    the    King;    "the    Due 

d'Aumont's  grandfather  would  be  greatly  astonished 
if  he  could  see  his  grandson  arm  in  arm  with  the 

grandson  of  his  valet  de  Chambre,  L ,  in  a  dress 

which  may  be  called  a  patent  of  nobility !  "  He  went 
on  to  tell  Madame  de  Pompadour  a  long  history,  to 
prove  the  truth  of  what  he  said.  The  King  went  out 
to  accompany  her  into  the  garden;  and,  soon  after, 
Quesnay  and  M.  de  Marigny  came  in.  I  spoke  with 
contempt  of  some  one  who  was  very  fond  of  money. 
At  this  the  Doctor  laughed,  and  said,  "  I  had  a  curi- 
ous dream  last  night:  I  was  in  the  country  of  the 
ancient  Germans;  I  had  a  large  house,  stacks  of  corn, 
herds  of  cattle,  a  great  number  of  horses,  and  huge 
barrels  of  ale;  but  I  suffered  dreadfully  from  rheu- 
matism, and  knew  not  how  to  manage  to  go  to  a 
fountain,  at  fifty  leagues'  distance,  the  waters  of 
which  would  cure  me.  I  was  to  go  among  a  strange 
people.  An  enchanter  appeared  before  me,  and  said 
to  me,  '  I  pity  your  distress ;  here,  I  will  give  you  a 
little  packet  of  the  powder  of  prelinpinpin;  whoever 
receives  a  little  of  this  from  you  will  lodge  you,  feed 
you,  and  pay  you  all  sorts  of  civilities.'  I  took  the 
powder,  and  thanked  him."  "  Ah !  "  said  I,  "  how 
I  should  like  to  have  some  powder  of  prelinpinpin! 
I  wish  I  had  a  chest  full."  "  Well,"  said  the  Doctor, 
"  that  powder  is  money,  for  which  you  have  so  great 
a  contempt.  Tell  me  who,  of  all  the  men  who  come 
hither,  receives  the  greatest  attentions  ?  "  "I  do  not 
know,"  said  I.  "  Why,"  said  he,  "  it  is  M.  de  Mon- 
martel,  who  comes  four  or  five  times  a  year."  "  Why 
does  he  enjoy  so  much  consideration  ?  "  "  Because 
his  coffers  are  full  of  the  powder  of  prelinpinpin. 
Everything  in  existence,"  said  he,  taking  a  handful 
of  louis  from  his  pocket,  "  is  contained  in  these  little 
pieces  of  metal,  which  will  convey  you  commodiously 


194  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

from  one  end  of  the  world  to  the  other.  All  men 
obey  those  who  possess  this  powder,  and  eagerly 
tender  them  their  services.  To  despise  money,  is  to 
despise  happiness,  liberty,  in  short,  enjoyments  of 
every  kind."  A  cordon  bleu  passed  under  the  window. 
"  That  nobleman,"  said  I,  "  is  much  more  delighted 
with  his  cordon  bleu  than  he  would  be  with  ten  thou- 
sand of  your  pieces  of  metal."  "  When  I  ask  the 
King  for  a  pension,"  replied  Quesnay,  "  I  say  to  him, 
'  Give  me  the  means  of  having  a  better  dinner,  a 
warmer  coat,  a  carriage  to  shelter  me  from  the 
weather,  and  to  transport  me  from  place  to  place 
without  fatigue.'  But  the  man  who  asks  him  for 
that  fine  blue  ribbon  would  say,  if  he  had  the  courage 
and  the  honesty  to  speak  as  he  feels,  '  I  am  vain,  and 
it  will  give  me  great  satisfaction  to  see  people  look  at 
me,  as  I  pass,  with  an  eye  of  stupid  admiration,  and 
make  way  for  me;  I  wish,  when  I  enter  a  room,  to 
produce  an  effect,  and  to  excite  the  attention  of  those 
who  may,  perhaps,  laugh  at  me  when  I  am  gone;  I 
wish  to  be  called  Monseigneur  by  the  multitude.'  Is 
not  all  this  mere  empty  air?  In  scarcely  any  coun- 
try will  this  ribbon  be  of  the  slightest  use  to  him;  it 
will  give  him  no  power.  My  pieces  of  metal  will  give 
me  the  power  of  assisting  the  unfortunate  everywhere. 
Long  live  the  omnipotent  powder  of  prelinpinpin ! " 
At  these  last  words,  we  heard  a  burst  of  laughter 
from  the  adjoining  room,  which  was  only  separated 
by  a  door  from  the  one  we  were  in.  The  door  opened, 
and  in  came  the  King,  Madame  de  Pompadour,  and 
M.  de  Gontaut.  "  Long  live  the  powder  of  prelinpin- 
pin!" said  the  King.  "Doctor,  can  you  get  me  any 
of  it?"  It  happened  that,  when  the  King  returned 
from  his  walk,  he  was  struck  with  a  fancy  to  listen 
to  our  conversation.  Madame  de  Pompadour  was 
extremely  kind  to  the  Doctor,  and  the  King  went  out 


•••••^"•^^•••^••^•^•^•••••••^•^••^••^•^^ 

Madame  de  Pompadour  learns  of  the  likelihood  of  her  success 
i  meeting  her  admirer,  the  King. 

—p.  182 
From   the   painting    by  Casanova   y   Estorach. 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR)    195 

laughing,  and  talking  with  great  admiration  of  the 
powder.  I  went  away,  and  so  did  the  Doctor.  I 
immediately  sat  down  to  commit  this  conversation 
to  writing.  I  was  afterwards  told  that  M.  Quesnay 
was  very  learned  in  certain  matters  relating  to  finance, 
and  that  he  was  a  great  economiste.  But  I  do  not 
know  very  well  what  that  means.  What  I  do  know 
for  certain  is,  that  he  was  very  clever,  very  gay  and 
witty,  and  a  very  able  physician. 

The  illness  of  the  little  Duke  of  Burgundy,  whose 
intelligence  was  much  talked  of,  for  a  long  time 
occupied  the  attention  of  the  Court.  Great  endeav- 
ours were  made  to  find  out  the  cause  of  his  malady, 
and  ill-nature  went  so  far  as  to  assert  that  his  nurse, 
who  had  an  excellent  situation  at  Versailles,  had 
communicated  to  him  a  nasty  disease.  The  King 
shewed  Madame  de  Pompadour  the  information  he 
had  procured  from  the  province  she  came  from,  as  to 
her  conduct.  A  silly  Bishop  thought  proper  to  say 
she  had  been  very  licentious  in  her  youth.  The  poor 
nurse  was  told  of  this,  and  begged  that  he  might  be 
made  to  explain  himself.  The  Bishop  replied,  that 
she  had  been  at  several  balls  in  the  town  in  which 
she  lived,  and  that  she  had  gone  with  her  neck 
uncovered.  The  poor  man  actually  thought  this  the 
height  of  licentiousness.  The  King,  who  had  been  at 
first  uneasy,  when  he  came  to  this,  called  out,  "  What 
a  fool!  "  After  having  long  been  a  source  of  anxiety 
to  the  Court,  the  Duke  died.  Nothing  produces  a 
stronger  impression  upon  Princes,  than  the  spectacle 
of  their  equals  dying.  Everybody  is  occupied  about 
them  while  ill — but  as  soon  as  they  are  dead,  nobody 
mentions  them.  The  King  frequently  talked  about 
death — and  about  funerals,  and  places  of  burial. 
Nobody  could  be  of  a  more  melancholy  temperament. 
Madame  de  Pompadour  once  told  me  that  he  experi- 

Memoirs — 7  Vol.  1 


196  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

enced  a  painful  sensation  whenever  he  was  forced  to 
laugh,  and  that  he  had  often  begged  her  to  break  off 
a  droll  story.  He  smiled,  and  that  was  all.  In  gen- 
eral, he  had  the  most  gloomy  ideas  concerning  almost 
all  events.  When  there  was  a  new  Minister,  he  used 
to  say,  "He  displays  his  wares  like  all  the  rest,  and 
promises  the  finest  things  in  the  world,  not  one  of 
which  will  be  fulfilled.  He  does  not  know  this  coun- 
try—he will  see."  When  new  projects  for  reinforc- 
ing the  navy  were  laid  before  him,  he  said,  "  This  is 
the  twentieth  time  I  have  heard  this  talked  of — France 
never  will  have  a  navy,  I  think."  This  I  heard  from 
M.  de  Marigny. 

I  never  saw  Madame  de  Pompadour  so  rejoiced  as 
at  the  taking  of  Mahon.  The  King  was  very  glad, 
too,  but  he  had  no  belief  in  the  merit  of  his  courtiers 
— he  looked  upon  their  success  as  the  effect  of  chance. 
Marechal  Saxe  was,  as  I  have  been  told,  the  only  man 
who  inspired  him  with  great  esteem.  But  he  had 
scarcely  ever  seen  him  in  his  closet,  or  playing  the 
courtier. 

M.  d'Argenson  picked  a  quarrel  with  M.  de  Riche- 
lieu, after  his  victory,  about  his  return  to  Paris.  This 
was  intended  to  prevent  his  coming  to  enjoy  his  tri- 
umph. He  tried  to  throw  the  thing  upon  Madame  de 
Pompadour,  who  was  enthusiastic  about  him,  and 
called  him  by  no  other  name  than  the  "  Minor  can." 
The  Chevalier  de  Montaign  was  the  favourite  of  the 
Dauphin,  and  much  beloved  by  him  for  his  great 
devotion.  He  fell  ill,  and  underwent  an  operation 
called  I'empieme,  which  is  performed  by  making  an 
incision  between  the  ribs,  in  order  to  let  out  the  pus; 
it  had,  to  all  appearance,  a  favourable  result,  but  the 
patient  grew  worse,  and  could  not  breathe.  His  med- 
ical attendants  could  not  conceive  what  occasioned 
this  accident  and  retarded  his  cure.  He  died  almost 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     197 

in  the  arms  of  the  Dauphin,  who  went  every  day  to 
see  him.  The  singularity  of  his  disease  determined 
the  surgeons  to  open  the  body,  and  they  found,  in  his 
chest,  part  of  the  leaden  syringe  with  which  decoc- 
tions had,  as  was  usual,  been  injected  into  the  part  in 
a  state  of  suppuration.  The  surgeon,  who  committed 
this  act  of  negligence,  took  care  not  to  boast  of  his 
feat,  and  his  patient  was  the  victim.  This  incident 
was  much  talked  of  by  the  King,  who  related  it,  I 
believe,  not  less  than  thirty  times,  according  to  his 
custom;  but  what  occasioned  still  more  conversation 
about  the  Chevalier  de  Montaign,  was  a  box,  found 
by  his  bed's  side,  containing  haircloths,  and  shirts, 
and  whips,  stained  with  blood.  This  circumstance 
was  spoken  of  one  evening  at  supper,  at  Madame  de 
Pompadour's,  and  not  one  of  the  guests  seemed  at  all 
tempted  to  imitate  the  Chevalier.  Eight  or  ten  days 
afterwards,  the  following  tale  was  sent  to  the  King, 
to  Madame  de  Pompadour,  to  the  Baschi,  and  to  the 
Due  d'Ayen.  At  first  nobody  could  understand  to 
what  it  referred:  at  last,  the  Due  d'Ayen  exclaimed. 
"  How  stupid  we  are ;  this  is  a  joke  on  the  austerities 
of  the  Chevalier  de  Montaign! "  This  appeared  clear 
enough — so  much  the  more  so,  as  the  copies  were 
sent  to  the  Dauphin,  the  Dauphine,  the  Abbe  de  St. 

Cyr,  and  to  the  Due  de  V .      The  latter  had  the 

character  of  a  pretender  to  devotion,  and,  in  his  copy, 
there  was  this  addition,  "  You  would  not  be  such  a 
fool,  my  dear  Duke,  as  to  be  a  faquir — confess  that 
you  would  be  very  glad  to  be  one  of  those  good  monks 
who  lead  such  a  jolly  life."  The  Due  de  Richelieu 
was  suspected  of  having  employed  one  of  his  wits  to 
write  the  story.  The  King  was  scandalised  at  it,  and 
ordered  the  Lieutenant  of  Police  to  endeavour  to  find 
out  the  author,  but  either  he  could  not  succeed  or  he 
would  not  betray  him. 


198  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

Japanese  Tale. 

At  a  distance  of  three  leagues  from  the  capital  of 
Japan,  there  is  a  temple  celebrated  for  the  concourse 
of  persons,  of  both  sexes,  and  of  all  ranks,  who  crowd 
thither  to  worship  an  idol  believed  to  work  miracles. 
Three  hundred  men  consecrated  to  the  service  of 
religion,  and  who  can  give  proofs  of  ancient  and 
illustrious  descent,  serve  this  temple,  and  present  to 
the  idol  the  offerings  which  are  brought  from  all  the 
provinces  of  the  empire.  They  inhabit  a  vast  and 
magnificent  edifice,  belonging  to  the  temple,  and  sur- 
rounded with  gardens  where  art  has  combined  with 
nature  to  produce  enchantment.  I  obtained  permis- 
sion to  see  the  temple,  and  to  walk  in  the  gardens. 
A  monk  advanced  in  years,  but  still  full  of  vigour 
and  vivacity,  accompanied  me.  I  saw  several  others, 
of  different  ages,  who  were  walking  there.  But  what 
surprised  me  was  to  see  a  great  many  of  them  amus- 
ing themselves  by  various  agreeable  and  sportive 
games  with  young  girls  elegantly  dressed,  listening 
to  their  songs,  and  joining  in  their  dances.  The 
monk,  who  accompanied  me,  listened  with  great  civil- 
ity and  kindness  to  the  questions  I  put  to  him 
concerning  his  order.  The  following  is  the  sum  of 
his  answers  to  my  numerous  interrogations.  The 
God  Faraki,  whom  we  worship,  is  so  called  from  a 
word  which  signifies  the  fabricator.  He  made  all 
that  we  behold — the  earth,  the  stars,  the  sun,  etc. 
He  has  endowed  men  with  senses,  which  are  so  many 
sources  of  pleasure,  and  we  think  the  only  way  of  shew- 
ing our  gratitude  is  to  use  them.  This  opinion  will, 
doubtless,  appear  to  you  much  more  rational  than  that 
of  the  faquirs  of  India,  who  pass  their  lives  in  thwart- 
ing nature,  and  who  inflict  upon  themselves  the  most 
melancholy  privations  and  the  most  severe  sufferings. 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR'    199 

As  soon  as  the  sun  rises,  we  repair  to  the  moun- 
tain you  see  before  us,  at  the  foot  of  which  flows  a 
stream  of  the  most  limpid  water,  which  meanders  in 
graceful  windings  through  that  meadow — enamelled 
with  the  loveliest  flowers.  We  gather  the  most  fra- 
grant of  them,  which  we  carry  and  lay  upon  the  altar, 
together  with  various  fruits,  which  we  receive  from 
the  bounty  of  Faraki.  We  then  sing  his  praises,  and 
execute  dances  expressive  of  our  thankfulness,  and  of 
all  the  enjoyments  we  owe  to  this  beneficent  deity. 
The  highest  of  these  is  that  which  love  produces,  and 
we  testify  our  ardent  gratitude  by  the  manner  in 
which  we  avail  ourselves  of  this  inestimable  gift 
of  Faraki.  Having  left  the  temple,  we  go  into  sev- 
eral shady  thickets,  where  we  take  a  light  repast ;  after 
which,  each  of  us  employs  himself  in  some  unoppres- 
sive  labour.  Some  embroider,  others  apply  them- 
selves to  painting,  others  cultivate  flowers  or  fruits, 
others  turn  little  implements  for  our  use.  Many  of 
these  little  works  are  sold  to  the  people,  who  pur- 
chase them  with  eagerness.  The  money  arising  from 
this  sale  forms  a  considerable  part  of  our  revenue. 
Our  morning  is  thus  devoted  to  the  worship  of  God 
and  to  the  exercise  of  the  sense  of  Sight,  which  begins 
with  the  first  rays  of  the  sun.  The  sense  of  Taste  is 
gratified  by  our  dinner,  and  we  add  to  it  the  pleasure 
of  Smell.  The  most  delicious  viands  are  spread  for 
us  in  apartments  strewed  with  flowers.  The  table  is 
adorned  with  them,  and  the  most  exquisite  wines  are 
handed  to  us  in  crystal  goblets.  When  we  have 
glorified  God,  by  the  agreeable  use  of  the  palate,  and 
the  olfactory  nerve,  we  enjoy  a  delightful  sleep  of 
two  hours,  in  bowers  of  orange  trees,  roses,  and  myr- 
tles. Having  acquired  a  fresh  store  of  strength  and 
spirits,  we  return  to  our  occupations,  that  we  may 
thus  mingle  labour  with  pleasure,  which  would  lose 


200  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

its  zest  by  long  continuance.  After  our  work,  we 
return  to  the  temple,  to  thank  God,  and  to  offer  him 
incense.  From  thence  we  go  to  the  most  delightful 
part  of  the  garden,  where  we  find  three  hundred 
young  girls,  some  of  whom  form  lively  dances  with 
the  younger  of  our  monks;  the  others  execute  serious 
dances,  which  require  neither  strength  nor  agility,  and 
which  only  keep  time  to  the  sound  of  musical  instru- 
ments. 

We  talk  and  laugh  with  our  companions,  who  are 
dressed  in  a  light  gauze,  and  whose  tresses  are 
adorned  with  flowers;  we  press  them  to  partake  of 
exquisite  sherbets,  differently  prepared.  The  hour  of 
supper  being  arrived,  we  repair  to  rooms  illuminated 
with  the  lustre  of  a  thousand  tapers  fragrant  with 
amber.  The  supper-room  is  surrounded  by  three  vast 
galleries,  in  which  are  placed  musicians,  whose  vari- 
ous instruments  fill  the  mind  with  the  most  pleasur- 
able and  the  softest  emotions.  The  young  girls  are 
seated  at  table  with  us,  and,  towards  the  conclusion 
of  the  repast,  they  sing  songs,  which  are  hymns  in 
honour  of  the  God  who  has  endowed  us  with  senses 
which  shed  such  a  charm  over  existence,  and  which 
promise  us  new  pleasure  from  every  fresh  exercise  of 
them.  After  the  repast  is  ended,  we  return  to  the 
dance,  and,  when  the  hour  of  repose  arrives,  we 
draw  from  a  kind  of  lottery,  in  which  every  one  is 
sure  of  a  prize;  that  is,  a  young  girl  as  his  compan- 
ion for  the  night.  They  are  allotted  thus  by  chance, 
in  order  to  avoid  jealousy,  and  to  prevent  exclusive 
attachments.  Thus  ends  the  day,  and  gives  place  to 
a  night  of  delights,  which  we  sanctify  by  enjoying 
with  due  relish  that  sweetest  of  all  pleasures,  which 
Faraki  has  so  wisely  attached  to  the  reproduction 
of  our  species.  We  reverently  admire  the  wisdom 
and  the  goodness  of  Faraki,  who,  desiring  to  secure  to 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     201 

the  world  a  continued  population,  has  implanted  in 
the  sexes  an  invincible  mutual  attraction,  which  con- 
stantly draws  them  towards  each  other.  Fecundity 
is  the  end  he  proposes,  and  he  rewards  with  intoxicat- 
ing delights  those  who  contribute  to  the  fulfilment  of 
his  designs.  What  should  we  say  to  the  favourite  of 
a  King  from  whom  he  had  received  a  beautiful  house, 
and  fine  estates,  and  who  chose  to  spoil  the  house,  to 
let  it  fall  in  ruins,  to  abandon  the  cultivation  of  the 
land,  and  let  it  become  sterile,  and  covered  with 
thorns?  Such  is  the  conduct  of  the  faquirs  of  India, 
who  condemn  themselves  to  the  most  melancholy 
privations,  and  to  the  most  severe  sufferings.  Is  not 
this  insulting  Faraki?  Is  it  not  saying  to  him,  I 
despise  your  gifts?  Is  it  not  misrepresenting  him 
and  saying,  You  are  malevolent  and  cruel,  and  I 
know  that  I  can  no  otherwise  please  you  than  by 
offering  you  the  spectacle  of  my  miseries?  "I  am 
told,"  added  he,  "  that  you  have,  in  your  country, 
faquirs  not  less  insane,  not  less  cruel  to  themselves." 
I  thought,  with  some  reason,  that  he  meant  the 
fathers  of  La  Trappe.  The  recital  of  the  matter 
afforded  me  much  matter  for  reflection,  and  I  admired 
how  strange  are  the  systems  to  which  perverted  rea- 
son gives  birth. 

The  Due  de  V was  a  nobleman  of  high  rank 

and  great  wealth.  He  said  to  the  King  one  evening 
at  supper,  "  Your  Majesty  does  me  the  favour  to  treat 
me  with  great  kindness:  I  should  be  inconsolable  if  I 
had  the  misfortune  to  fall  under  your  displeasure. 
If  such  a  calamity  were  to  befall  me,  I  should  en- 
deavour to  divert  my  grief  by  improving  some  beauti- 
ful estates  of  mine  in  such  and  such  a  province ; "  and 
he  thereupon  gave  a  description  of  three  or  four  fine 
seats.  About  a  month  after,  talking  of  the  disgrace 


202  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

of  a  Minister,  he  said,  "  I  hope  your  Majesty  will  not 
withdraw  your  favour  from  me;  but  if  I  had  the 
misfortune  to  lose  it,  I  should  be  more  to  be  pitied 
than  anybody,  for  I  have  no  asylum  in  which  to  hide 
my  head."  All  those  present,  who  had  heard  the 
description  of  the  beautiful  country  houses,  looked  at 
each  other  and  laughed.  The  King  said  to  Madame 
de  Pompadour,  who  sat  next  to  him  at  table,  "  People 
are  very  right  in  saying  that  a  liar  ought  to  have  a 
good  memory." 

An  event,  which  made  me  tremble,  as  well  as 
Madame,  procured  me  the  familiarity  of  the  King. 
In  the  middle  of  the  night,  Madame  came  into  my 
chamber,  en  chemise,  and  in  a  state  of  distraction. 
"  Here!  Here!  "  said  she,  "  the  King  is  dying."  My 
alarm  may  be  easily  imagined.  I  put  on  a  petticoat, 
and  found  the  King  in  her  bed,  panting.  What  was 
to  be  done? — it  was  an  indigestion.  We  threw 
water  upon  him,  and  he  came  to  himself.  I  made 
him  swallow  some  Hoffman's  drops,  and  he  said  to 
me,  "  Do  not  make  any  noise,  but  go  to  Quesnay;  say 
that  your  mistress  is  ill;  and  tell  the  Doctor's  serv- 
ants to  say  nothing  about  it."  Quesnay,  who  lodged 
close  by,  came  immediately,  and  was  much  astonished 
to  see  the  King  in  that  state.  He  felt  his  pulse,  and 
said,  "  The  crisis  is  over;  but,  if  the  King  were  sixty 
years  old,  this  might  have  been  serious."  He  went 
to  seek  some  drug,  and,  on  his  return,  set  about  inun- 
dating the  King  with  perfumed  water.  I  forget  the 
name  of  the  medicine  he  made  him  take,  but  the 
effect  was  wonderful.  I  believe  it  was  the  drops  of 
General  Lamotte.  I  called  up  one  of  the  girls  of  the 
wardrobe  to  make  tea,  as  if  for  myself.  The  King 
took  three  cups,  put  on  his  robe  de  chambrc  and  his 
stockings,  and  went  to  his  own  room,  leaning  upon 
the  Doctor.  What  a  sight  it  was  to  see  us  all  three 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     203 

half  naked !  Madame  put  on  a  robe  as  soon  as 
possible,  and  I  did  the  same,  and  the  King  changed 
his  clothes  behind  the  curtains,  which  were  very 
decently  closed.  He  afterwards  spoke  of  this  short 
attack,  and  expressed  his  sense  of  the  attentions 
shown  him.  An  hour  after,  I  felt  the  greatest  pos- 
sible terror  in  thinking  that  the  King  might  have  died 
in  our  hands.  Happily,  he  quickly  recovered  himself, 
and  none  of  the  domestics  perceived  what  had  taken 
place.  I  merely  told  the  girl  of  the  wardrobe  to  put 
everything  to  rights,  and  she  thought  it  was  Madame 
who  had  been  indisposed.  The  King,  the  next  morn- 
ing, gave  secretly  to  Quesnay  a  little  note  for 
Madame,  in  which  he  said,  Ma  chere  amie  must  have 
had  a  great  fright,  but  let  her  reassure  herself — I  am 
now  well,  which  the  Doctor  will  certify  to  you.  From 
that  moment  the  King  became  accustomed  to  me, 
and,  touched  by  the  interest  I  had  shown  for  him,  he 
often  gave  me  one  of  his  peculiarly  gracious  glances, 
and  made  me  little  presents,  and,  on  every  New 
Year's  Day,  sent  me  porcelain  to  the  amount  of 
twenty  louis  d'or.  He  told  Madame  that  he  looked 
upon  me  in  the  apartment  as  a  picture  or  statue,  and 
never  put  any  constraint  upon  himself  on  account  of 
my  presence.  Doctor  Quesnay  received  a  pension  of 
a  thousand  crowns  for  his  attention  and  silence,  and 
the  promise  of  a  place  for  his  son.  The  King  gave 
me  an  order  upon  the  Treasury  for  four  thousand 
francs,  and  Madame  had  presented  to  her  a  very  hand- 
some chiming-clock  and  the  King's  portrait  in  a  snuff- 
box. 

The  King  was  habitually  melancholy,  and  liked 
everything  which  recalled  the  idea  of  death,  in  spite 
of  the  strongest  fears  of  it.  Of  this,  the  following  is 
an  instance :  Madame  de  Pompadour  was  on  her 
way  to  Crecy,  when  one  of  the  King's  grooms  made 


204  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

a  sign  to  her  coachman  to  stop,  and  told  him  that 
the  King's  carriage  had  broken  down,  and  that, 
knowing  her  to  be  at  no  great  distance,  His  Majesty 
had  sent  him  forward  to  beg  her  to  wait  for  him. 
He  soon  overtook  us,  and  seated  himself  in  Madame 
de  Pompadour's  carriage,  in  which  were,  I  think, 
Madame  de  Chateau-Renaud,  and  Madame  de  Mire- 
poix.  The  lords  in  attendance  placed  themselves  in 
some  other  carriages.  I  was  behind,  in  a  chaise, 
with  Gourbillon,  Madame  de  Pompadour's  valet  de 
chambre.  We  were  surprised  in  a  short  time  by  the 
King  stopping  his  carriage.  Those  which  followed, 
of  course  stopped  also.  The  King  called  a  groom, 
and  said  to  him,  "You  see  that  little  eminence; 
there  are  crosses;  it  must  certainly  be  a  burying- 
ground ;  go  and  see  whether  there  are  any  graves  newly 
dug."  The  groom  galloped  up  to  it,  returned,  and 
said  to  the  King,  "  There  are  three  quite  freshly 
made."  Madame  de  Pompadour,  as  she  told  me, 
turned  away  her  head  with  horror;  and  the  little 
Marechale  gaily  said,  "  This  is  indeed  enough  to  make 
one's  mouth  water."  Madame  de  Pompadour  spoke 
of  it  when  I  was  undressing  her  in  the  evening. 
"  What  a  strange  pleasure,"  said  she,  "  to  endeavour 
to  fill  one's  mind  with  images  which  one  ought  to 
endeavour  to  banish,  especially  when  one  is  sur- 
rounded by  so  many  sources  of  happiness!  But 
that  is  the  King's  way;  he  loves  to  talk  about  death. 
He  said,  some  days  ago,  to  M.  de  Fontanieu,  who  was 
seized  with  a  bleeding  at  the  nose,  at  the  levee, 
*  Take  care  of  yourself;  at  your  age  it  is  a  forerunner 
of  apoplexy.'  The  poor  man  went  home  frightened, 
and  absolutely  ill." 

I  never  saw  the  King  so  agitated  as  during  the 
illness  of  the  Dauphin.  The  physicians  came  inces- 
santly to  the  apartments  of  Madame  de  Pompadour, 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     205 

where  the  King  interrogated  them.  There  was  one 
from  Paris,  a  very  odd  man,  called  Pousse,  who 
once  said  to  him,  "  You  are  a  good  papa ;  I  like  you 
for  that.  But  you  know  we  are  all  your  children, 
and  share  your  distress.  Take  courage,  however; 
your  son  will  recover."  Everybody's  eyes  were  upon 
the  Due  d'Orleans,  who  knew  not  how  to  look.  He 
would  have  become  heir  to  the  crown,  the  Queen 
being  past  the  age  to  have  children.  Madame  de 

said  to  me,  one  day,  when  I  was  expressing 

my  surprise  at  the  King's  grief,  "  It  would  annoy 
him  beyond  measure  to  have  a  Prince  of  the  blood 
heir  apparent.  He  does  not  like  them,  and  looks 
upon  their  relationship  to  him  as  so  remote,  that  he 
would  feel  humiliated  by  it."  And,  in  fact,  when  his 
son  recovered,  he  said,  "  The  King  of  Spain  would 
have  had  a  fine  chance."  It  was  thought  that  he 
was  right  in  this,  and  that  it  would  have  been  agree- 
able to  justice;  but  that,  if  the  Due  d'Orleans  had 
been  supported  by  a  party,  he  might  have  supported 
his  pretensions  to  the  crown.  It  was,  doubtless,  to 
remove  this  impression  that  he  gave  a  magnificent 
fete  at  St.  Cloud  on  the  occasion  of  the  Dauphin's 
recovery.  Madame  de  Pompadour  said  to  Madame 
de  Brancas,  speaking  of  this  fete,  "  He  wishes  to 
make  us  forget  the  chateau  en  Espagne  he  has  been 
dreaming  of;  in  Spain,  however,  they  build  them  of 
solider  materials."  The  people  did  not  shew  so 
much  joy  at  the  Dauphin's  recovery.  They  looked 
upon  him  as  a  devotee,  who  did  nothing  but  sing 
psalms.  They  loved  the  Due  d'Orleans,  who  lived  in 
the  capital,  and  had  acquired  the  name  of  the  King 
of  Paris.  These  sentiments  were  not  just;  the 
Dauphin  only  sang  psalms  when  imitating  the  tones 
of  one  of  the  choristers  of  the  chapel.  The  people 
afterwards  acknowledged  their  error,  and  did  justice 


206  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

to  his  virtues.  The  Due  d'Orleans  paid  the  most 
assiduous  court  to  Madame  de  Pompadour :  the 
Duchess,  on  the  contrary,  detested  her.  It  is  possible 
that  words  were  put  into  the  Duchess's  mouth  which 
she  never  uttered;  but  she,  certainly,  often  said 
most  cutting  things.  The  King  would  have  sent 
her  into  exile,  had  he  listened  only  to  his  resent- 
ment; but  he  feared  the  eclat  of  such  a  proceeding, 
and  he  knew  that  she  would  only  be  the  more 
malicious.  The  Due  d'Orleans  was,  just  then,  ex- 
tremely jealous  of  the  Comte  de  Melfort;  and  the 
Lieutenant  of  Police  told  the  King  he  had  strong 
reasons  for  believing  that  the  Duke  would  stick  at 
nothing  to  rid  himself  of  this  gallant,  and  that  he 
thought  it  his  duty  to  give  the  Count  notice,  that  he 
ought  to  be  upon  his  guard.  The  King  said,  "  He 
would  not  dare  to  attempt  any  such  violence  as  you 
seem  to  apprehend;  but  there  is  a  better  way:  let  him 
try  to  surprise  them,  and  he  will  find  me  very  well  in- 
clined to  have  his  cursed  wife  shut  up;  but  if  he  got 
rid  of  this  lover,  she  would  have  another  to-morrow. 
Nay,  she  has  others  at  this  moment;  for  instance,  the 
Chevalier  de  Colbert,  and  the  Comte  de  1'Aigle." 
Madame  de  Pompadour,  however,  told  me  these  two 
last  affairs  were  not  certain. 

An  adventure  happened  about  the  same  time, 
which  the  Lieutenant  of  Police  reported  to  the  King. 
The  Duchesse  d'Orleans  had  amused  herself  one 
evening,  about  eight  o'clock,  with  ogling  a  handsome 
young  Dutchman,  whom  she  took  a  fancy  to,  from  a 
window  of  the  Palais  Royal.  The  young  man,  taking 
her  for  a  woman  of  the  town,  wanted  to  make  short 
work,  at  which  she  was  very  much  shocked.  She 
called  a  Swiss,  and  made  herself  known.  The 
stranger  was  arrested;  but  he  defended  himself  by 
affirming  that  she  had  talked  very  loosely  to  him. 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     207 

He  was  dismissed,  and  the  Due  d'Orleans  gave  his 
wife  a  severe  reprimand. 

The  King  (who  hated  her  so  much  that  he  spoke 
of  her  without  the  slightest  restraint)  one  day  said  to 
Madame  de  Pompadour,  in  my  presence,  "  Her 
mother  knew  what  she  was,  for,  before  her  marriage, 
she  never  suffered  her  to  say  more  than  yes  and  no. 
Do  you  know  her  joke  on  the  nomination  of  Moras? 
She  sent  to  congratulate  him  upon  it:  two  minutes 
after,  she  called  back  the  messenger  she  had  sent, 
and  said,  before  everybody  present,  '  Before  you  speak 
to  him,  ask  the  Swiss  if  he  still  has  the  place.' ' 
Madame  de  Pompadour  was  not  vindictive,  and,  in 
spite  of  the  malicious  speeches  of  the  Duchesse 
d'Orleans,  she  tried  to  excuse  her  conduct.  "  Almost 
all  women,"  she  said,  "have  lovers;  she  has  not  all 
that  are  imputed  to  her:  but  her  free  manners,  and 
her  conversation,  which  is  beyond  all  bounds,  have 
brought  her  into  general  disrepute." 

My  companion  came  into  my  room  the  other  day, 
quite  delighted.  She  had  been  with  M.  de  Chene- 
vieres,  first  Clerk  in  the  War-office,  and  a  constant 
correspondent  of  Voltaire,  whom  she  looks  upon  as  a 
god.  She  was,  by  the  bye,  put  into  a  great  rage  one 
day,  lately,  by  a  print-seller  in  the  street,  who  was 
crying,  "  Here  is  Voltaire,  the  famous  Prussian ;  here 
you  see  him,  with  a  great  bear-skin  cap,  to  keep  him 
from  the  cold!  Here  is  the  famous  Prussian,  for  six 
sous !  "  "  What  a  profanation !  "  said  she.  To  re- 
turn to  my  story:  M.  de  Chenevieres  had  shewn  her 
some  letters  from  Voltaire,  and  M.  Marmontel  had 
read  an  Epistle  to  his  Library. 

M.  Quesnay  came  in  for  a  moment;  she  told  him 
all  this :  and,  as  he  did  not  appear  to  take  any  great 
interest  in  it,  she  asked  him  if  he  did  not  admire 
great  poets.  "  Oh,  yes;  just  as  I  admire  great  bilbo- 


208  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

quet  players,"  said  he,  in  that  tone  of  his,  which  ren- 
dered everything  he  said  diverting.  "  I  have  written 
some  verses,  however,"  said  he,  "  and  I  will  repeat 
them  to  you;  they  are  upon  a  certain  M.  Rodot,  an 
Intendant  of  the  Marine,  who  was  very  fond  of  abus- 
ing medicine  and  medical  men.  I  made  these  verses 
to  revenge  yEsculapius  and  Hippocrates. 

Antoine  se  medicina 

En  decriant  la  medicine, 
Et  de  ses  propres  mains  mina 

Les  f ondemens  de  sa  machine : 
Tres  rarement  il  opina 

Sans  humeur  bizarre  ou  chagrine, 
Et,  1'esprit  qui  le  domina 

Etait  affiche  sur  sa  mine. 

"  What  do  you  say  to  them?  "  said  the  Doctor.  My 
companion  thought  them  very  pretty,  and  the  Doctor 
gave  me  them  in  his  handwriting,  begging  me,  at  the 
same  time,  not  to  give  any  copies. 

Madame  de  Pompadour  joked  my  companion  about 
her  bel-esprit,  but  sometimes  she  reposed  confidence  in 
her.  Knowing  that  she  was  often  writing,  she  said 
to  her,  "  You  are  writing  a  novel,  which  will  appear 
some  day  or  other;  or,  perhaps,  the  age  of  Louis 
XV. :  I  beg  you  to  treat  me  well."  I  have  no  reason 
to  complain  of  her.  It  signifies  very  little  to  me  that 
she  can  talk  more  learnedly  than  I  can  about  prose 
and  verse. 

She  never  told  me  her  real  name;  but  one  day  I 
was  malicious  enough  to  say  to  her,  "  Some  one  was 
maintaining,  yesterday,  that  the  family  of  Madame  de 

Mar was  of  more  importance  than  many  of  good 

extraction.  They  say  it  is  the  first  in  Cadiz.  She 
had  very  honourable  alliances,  and  yet  she  has  thought 
it  no  degradation  to  be  governess  to  Madame  de  Pom- 
padour's daughter.  One  day  you  will  see  her  sons  or 
her  nephews  Farmers  General,  and  her  granddaughters 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     209 

married  to  Dukes."  I  had  remarked  that  Madame  de 
Pompadour  for  some  days  had  taken  chocolate,  d 
triple  vanille  et  ambre,  at  her  breakfast;  and  that  she 
ate  truffles  and  celery  soup:  finding  her  in  a  very 
heated  state,  I  one  day  remonstrated  with  her  about 
her  diet,  to  which  she  paid  no  attention.  I  then 
thought  it  right  to  speak  to  her  friend,  the  Duchesse 
de  Brancas.  "  I  had  remarked  the  same  thing,"  said 
she,  "  and  I  will  speak  to  her  about  it  before  you." 
After  she  was  dressed,  Madame  de  Brancas,  accord- 
ingly, told  her  she  was  uneasy  about  her  health.  "  I 
have  just  been  talking  to  her  about  it,"  said  the 
Duchess,  pointing  to  me,  "  and  she  is  of  my  opinion." 
Madame  de  Pompadour  seemed  a  little  displeased;  at 
last,  she  burst  into  tears.  I  immediately  went  out, 
shut  the  door,  and  returned  to  my  place  to  listen. 
"  My  dear  friend,"  she  said  to  Madame  de  Brancas, 
"  I  am  agitated  by  the  fear  of  losing  the  King's  heart 
by  ceasing  to  be  attractive  to  him.  Men,  you  know, 
set  great  value  on  certain  things,  and  I  have  the  mis- 
fortune to  be  of  a  very  cold  temperament.  I,  there- 
fore, determined  to  adopt  a  heating  diet,  in  order  to 
remedy  this  defect,  and  for  two  days  this  elixir  has 
been  of  great  service  to  me,  or,  at  least,  I  have 
thought  I  felt  its  good  effects."  The  Duchesse  de 
Brancas  took  the  phial  which  was  upon  the  toilet, 
and  after  having  smelt  at  it,  "  Fie ! "  said  she,  and 
threw  it  into  the  fire.  Madame  de  Pompadour  scolded 
her,  and  said,  "  I  don't  like  to  be  treated  like  a  child." 
She  wept  again,  and  said,  "  You  don't  know  what 
happened  to  me  a  week  ago.  The  King,  under  pre- 
text of  the  heat  of  the  weather,  lay  down  upon  my 
sofa,  and  passed  half  the  night  there.  He  will  take 
a  disgust  to  me  and  have  another  mistress."  "  You 
will  not  avoid  that,"  replied  the  Duchess,  "  by  follow- 
ing your  new  diet,  and  that  diet  will  kill  you;  render 


210  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

your  company  more  and  more  precious  to  the  King 
by  your  gentleness :  do  not  repulse  him  in  his  fond  mo- 
ments, and  let  time  do  the  rest;  the  chains  of  habit 
will  bind  him  to  you  for  ever."  They  then  embraced; 
Madame  de  Pompadour  recommended  secrecy  to 
Madame  de  Brancas,  and  the  diet  was  abandoned. 

A  little  while  after,  she  said  to  me,  "  Our  master  is 
better  pleased  with  me.  This  is  since  I  spoke  to 
Quesnay,  without,  however,  telling  him  all.  He  told 
me,  that  to  accomplish  my  end,  I  must  try  to  be  in 
good  health,  to  digest  well,  and,  for  that  purpose,  take 
exercise.  I  think  the  Doctor  is  right.  I  feel  quite 
a  different  creature.  I  adore  that  man  (the  King), 
I  wish  so  earnestly  to  be  agreeable  to  him !  But,  alas ! 
sometimes  he  says  I  am  a  macrcuse  (a  cold-blooded 
aquatic  bird).  I  would  give  my  life  to  please  him." 

One  day,  the  King  came  in  very  much  heated.  I 
withdrew  to  my  post,  where  I  listened.  "  What  is 
the  matter?"  said  Madame  de  Pompadour.  "The 
long  robes  and  the  clergy,"  replied  he,  "  are  always 
at  drawn  daggers,  they  distract  me  by  their  quar- 
rels. But  I  detest  the  long  robes  the  most.  My 
clergy,  on  the  whole,  is  attached  and  faithful  to 
me;  the  others  want  to  keep  me  in  a  state  of 
tutelage."  "  Firmness,"  said  Madame  de  Pompa- 
dour, "  is  the  only  thing  that  can  subdue  them." 
"  Robert  Saint  Vincent  is  an  incendiary,  whom  I 
wish  I  could  banish,  but  that  would  make  a  terrible 
tumult.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Archbishop  is  an 
iron-hearted  fellow,  who  tries  to  pick  quarrels.  Hap- 
pily, there  are  some  in  the  Parliament  upon  whom  I 
can  rely,  and  who  affect  to  be  very  violent,  but  can  be 
softened  upon  occasion.  It  costs  me  a  few  abbeys, 
and  a  few  secret  pensions,  to  accomplish  this.  There 

is  a  certain  V who  serves  me  very  well,  while 

he  appears  to  be  furious  on  the  other  side."  "  I  can 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     211 

tell  you  some  news  of  him,  Sire,"  said  Madame  de 
Pompadour.  "  He  wrote  to  me  yesterday,  pretending 
that  he  is  related  to  me,  and  begging  for  an  inter- 
view." "  Well,"  said  the  King,  "  let  him  come.  See 
him;  and  if  he  behaves  well,  we  shall  have  a  pretext 
for  giving  him  something."  M.  de  Gontaut  came  in, 
and  seeing  that  they  were  talking  seriously,  said 
nothing.  The  King  walked  about  in  an  agitated 
manner,  and  suddenly  exclaimed,  "  The  Regent  was 
very  wrong  in  restoring  to  them  the  right  of  remon- 
strating ;  they  will  end  in  ruining  the  State."  "  Ah, 
Sire,"  said  M.  de  Gontaut,  "  it  is  too  strong  to  be 
shaken  by  a  set  of  petty  justices."  "  You  don't  know 
what  they  do,  nor  what  they  think.  They  are  an  as- 
sembly of  republicans;  however,  here  is  enough  of 
the  subject.  Things  will  last  as  they  are  as  long  as  I 
shall.  Talk  about  this  on  Sunday,  Madame,  with 
M.  Berrier."  Madame  d'Amblimont  and  Madame 
d'Esparbes  came  in.  "  Ah !  here  come  my  kittens," 
said  Madame  de  Pompadour ;  "  all  that  we  are  about 
is  Greek  to  them;  but  their  gaiety  restores  my  tran- 
quillity, and  enables  me  to  attend  again  to  serious 
affairs.  You,  Sire,  have  the  chase  to  divert  you — 
they  answer  the  same  purpose  to  me."  The  King 
then  began  to  talk  about  his  morning's  sport,  and 
Lansmatte.  It  was  necessary  to  let  the  King  go  on 
upon  these  subjects,  and  even,  sometimes,  to  hear  the 
same  story  three  or  four  times  over,  if  new  persons 
came  into  the  room.  Madame  de  Pompadour  never 
betrayed  the  least  ennui.  She  even  sometimes  per- 
suaded him  to  begin  his  story  anew. 

I  one  day  said  to  her,  "  It  appears  to  me,  Madame, 
that  you  are  fonder  than  ever  of  the  Comtesse  d'Am- 
blimont." "  I  have  reason  to  be  so,"  said  she.  "  She 
is  unique,  I  think,  for  her  fidelity  to  her  friends,  and 
for  her  honour.  Listen,  but  tell  nobody — four  days 


212  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

ago,  the  King,  passing  her  to  go  to  supper,  approached 
her,  under  the  pretence  of  tickling  her,  and  tried  to 
slip  a  note  into  her  hand.  D'Amblimont,  in  her  mad- 
cap way,  put  her  hands  behind  her  back,  and  the  King 
was  obliged  to  pick  up  the  note,  which  had  fallen  on 
the  ground.  Gontaut  was  the  only  person  who  saw 
all  this,  and  after  supper,  he  went  up  to  the  little 
lady,  and  said,  *  You  are  an  excellent  friend.'  '  I 
did  my  duty/  said  she,  and  immediately  put  her 
finger  on  her  lips  to  enjoin  him  to  be  silent.  He, 
however,  informed  me  of  this  act  of  friendship  of  the 
little  heroine,  who  had  not  told  me  of  it  herself."  I 
admired  the  Countess's  virtue,  and  Madame  de  Pom- 
padour said,  "  She  is  giddy  and  headlong;  but  she  has 
more  sense  and  more  feeling  than  a  thousand  prudes 
and  devotees.  D'Esparbes  would  not  do  as  much — 
most  likely  she  would  meet  him  more  than  half-way. 
The  King  appeared  disconcerted,  but  he  still  pays  her 
great  attentions."  "  You  will,  doubtless,  Madame," 
said  I,  "  show  your  sense  of  such  admirable  conduct." 
"You  need  not  doubt  it,"  said  she,  "but  I  don't 
wish  her  to  think  that  I  am  informed  of  it."  The 
King,  prompted  either  by  the  remains  of  his  liking, 
or  from  the  suggestions  of  Madame  de  Pompadour, 
one  morning  went  to  call  on  Madame  d'Amblimont, 
at  Choisy,  and  threw  round  her  neck  a  collar  of  dia- 
monds and  emeralds,  werth  between  fifty  thousand 
and  seventy-five  thousand  francs.  This  happened  a 
long  time  after  the  circumstance  I  have  just  related. 

There  was  a  large  sofa  in  a  little  room  adjoining 
Madame  de  Pompadour's,  upon  which  I  often  reposed. 

One  evening,  towards  midnight,  a  bat  flew  into  the 
apartment  where  the  Court  was;  the  King  immedi- 
ately cried  out,  "Where  is  General  Crillon?"  (He 
had  just  left  the  room.)  "  He  is  the  General  to  com- 
mand against  the  bats."  This  set  everybody  calling 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     213 

out,  "  Ou  ctais-tu,  Crillon  f  "  M.  de  Crillon  soon  after 
came  in,  and  was  told  where  the  enemy  was.  He 
immediately  threw  off  his  coat,  drew  his  sword,  and 
commenced  an  attack  upon  the  bat,  which  flew  into 
the  closet  where  I  was  fast  asleep.  I  started  out  of 
sleep  at  the  noise,  and  saw  the  King  and  all  the  com- 
pany around  me.  This  furnished  amusement  for  the 
rest  of  the  evening.  M.  de  Crillon  was  a  very  excel- 
lent and  agreeable  man,  but  he  had  the  fault  of 
indulging  in  buffooneries  of  this  kind,  which,  how- 
ever, were  the  result  of  his  natural  gaiety,  and  not  of 
any  subserviency  of  character.  Such,  however,  was 
not  the  case  with  another  exalted  nobleman,  a  Knight 
of  the  Golden  Fleece,  whom  Madame  saw  one  day 
shaking  hands  with  her  valet  de  chambre.  As  he 
was  one  of  the  vainest  men  at  Court,  Madame  could 
not  refrain  from  telling  the  circumstance  to  the  King; 
and,  as  he  had  no  employment  at  Court,  the  King 
scarcely  ever  after  named  him  on  the  Supper  List. 

I  had  a  cousin  at  Saint  Cyr,  who  was  married. 
She  was  greatly  distressed  at  having  a  relation  wait- 
ing woman  to  Madame  de  Pompadour,  and  often 
treated  me  in  the  most  mortifying  manner.  Madame 
knew  this  from  Colin,  her  steward,  and  spoke  of  it 
to  the  King.  "I  am  not  surprised  at  it,"  said  he; 
"  this  is  a  specimen  of  the  silly  women  of  Saint  Cyr. 
Madame  de  Maintenon  had  excellent  intentions,  but 
she  made  a  great  mistake.  These  girls  are  brought 
up  in  such  a  manner,  that,  unless  they  are  all  made 
ladies  of  the  palace,  they  are  unhappy  and  imper- 
tinent." 

Some  time  after,  this  relation  of  mine  was  at  my 
house.  Colin,  who  knew  her,  though  she  did  not 
know  him,  came  in.  He  said  to  me,  "  Do  you  know 
that  the  Prince  de  Chimay  has  made  a  violent 
attack  upon  the  Chevalier  d'Henin  for  being  equerry 


214  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

to  the  Marquise."  At  these  words,  my  cousin  looked 
very  much  astonished,  and  said,  "  Was  he  not 
right  ?  "  "I  don't  mean  to  enter  into  that  question," 
said  Colin — "  but  only  to  repeat  his  words,  which 
were  these:  'If  you  were  only  a  man  of  moderately 
good  family  and  poor,  I  should,  not  blame  you,  know- 
ing, as  I  do,  that  there  are  hundreds  such,  who 
would  quarrel  for  your  place,  as  young  ladies  of 
family  would,  to  be  about  your  mistress.  But, 
recollect,  that  your  relations  are  princes  of  the 
Empire,  and  that  you  bear  their  name.' '  "  What, 
sir,"  said  my  relation,  "  the  Marquise's  equerry  of 
a  princely  house?"  "Of  the  house  of  Chimay," 
said  he;  "they  take  the  name  of  Alsace" — witness 
the  Cardinal  of  that  name.  Colin  went  out  delighted 
at  what  he  had  said. 

"  I  cannot  get  over  my  surprise  at  what  I  have 
heard,"  said  my  relation.  "  It  is,  nevertheless,  very 
true,"  replied  I ;  "  you  may  see  the  Chevalier  d'Henin 
(that  is  the  family  name  of  the  Princes  de  Chimay), 
with  the  cloak  of  Madame  upon  his  arm,  and  walking 
alongside  her  sedan-chair,  in  order  that  he  may  be 
ready,  on  her  getting  in,  to  cover  her  shoulders  with 
her  cloak,  and  then  remain  in  the  antechamber,  if 
there  is  no  other  room,  till  her  return." 

From  that  time,  my  cousin  let  me  alone;  nay,  she 
even  applied  to  me  to  get  a  company  of  horse  for  her 
husband,  who  was  very  loath  to  come  and  thank  me. 
His  wife  wished  him  to  thank  Madame  de  Pompa- 
dour; but  the  fear  he  had  lest  she  should  tell  him, 
that  it  was  in  consideration  of  his  relationship  to  her 
waiting-woman  that  he  commanded  fifty  horse,  pre- 
vented him.  It  was,  however,  a  most  surprising 
thing  that  a  man  belonging  to  the  house  of  Chimay 
should  be  in  the  service  of  any  lady  whatever;  and 
the  commander  of  Alsace  returned  from  Malta  on 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     215 

purpose  to  get  him  out  of  Madame  de  Pompadour's 
household.  He  got  him  a  pension  of  a  hundred 
louis  from  his  family,  and  the  Marquise  gave  him 
a  company  of  horse.  The  Chevalier  d'Henin  had 
been  page  to  the  Marechal  de  Luxembourg,  and  one 
can  hardly  imagine  how  he  could  have  put  his  rela- 
tion in  such  a  situation;  for,  generally  speaking,  all 
great  houses  keep  up  the  consequence  of  their  mem- 
bers. M.  de  Machault,  the  Keeper  of  the  Seals,  had, 
at  the  same  time,  as  equerry,  a  Knight  of  St.  Louis, 
and  a  man  of  family — the  Chevalier  de  Peribuse — 
who  carried  his  portfolio,  and  walked  by  the  side  of 
the  chair. 

Whether  it  was  from  ambition,  or  from  tender- 
ness, Madame  de  Pompadour  had  a  regard  for  her 
daughter,  which  seemed  to  proceed  from  the  bottom 
of  her  heart.  She  was  brought  up  like  a  Princess, 
and,  like  persons  of  that  rank,  was  called  by  her 
Christian  name  alone.  The  first  persons  at  Court 
had  an  eye  to  this  alliance,  but  her  mother  had, 
perhaps,  a  better  project.  The  King  had  a  son  by 
Madame  de  Vintimille,  who  resembled  him  in  face, 
gesture,  and  manners.  He  was  called  the  Comte  du 

.       Madame  de  Pompadour  had  him  brought 

to  Bellevue.  Colin,  her  steward,  was  employed  to 
find  means  to  persuade  his  tutor  to  bring  him  thither. 
They  took  some  refreshment  at  the  house  of  the 
Swiss,  and  the  Marquise,  in  the  course  of  her 
walk,  appeared  to  meet  them  by  accident.  She 
asked  the  name  of  the  child,  and  admired  his  beauty. 
Her  daughter  came  up  at  the  same  moment,  and 
Madame  de  Pompadour  led  them  into  a  part  of  the 
garden  where  she  knew  the  King  would  come.  He 
did  come,  and  asked  the  child's  name.  He  was  told, 
and  looked  embarrassed  when  Madame,  pointing  to 
them,  said  they  would  be  a  beautiful  couple.  The 


2i6  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

King  played  with  the  girl,  without  appearing  to  take 
any  notice  of  the  boy,  who,  while  he  was  eating  some 
figs  and  cakes  which  were  brought,  his  attitudes  and 
gestures  were  so  like  those  of  the  King,  that  Madame 
de  Pompadour  was  in  the  utmost  astonishment. 

"Ah!"    said    she,    "Sire,    look    at    ."     "At 

what?"  said  he.  "Nothing,"  replied  Madame,  "ex- 
cept that  one  would  think  one  saw  his  father." 

"  I  did  not  know,"  said  the  King,  smiling,  "  that 
you  were  so  intimately  acquainted  with  the  Comte  du 

L ."       "  You  ought  to  embrace  him,"  said  she, 

"  he  is  very  handsome."  "  I  will  begin,  then,  with 
the  young  lady,"  said  the  King,  and  embraced  them 
in  a  cold,  constrained  manner.  I  was  present,  hav- 
ing joined  Mademoiselle's  governess.  I  remarked  to 
Madame,  in  the  evening,  that  the  King  had  not 
appeared  very  cordial  in  his  caresses.  "That  is  his 
way,"  said  she ;  "  but  do  not  those  children  appear 
made  for  each  other?  If  it  was  Louis  XIV.,  he 
would  make  a  Due  du  Maine  of  the  little  boy;  I  do 
not  ask  so  much;  but  a  place  and  a  dukedom  for  his 
son  is  very  little;  and  it  is  because  he  is  his  son  that 
I  prefer  him  to  all  the  little  Dukes  of  the  Court.  My 
grandchildren  would  blend  the  resemblance  of  their 
grandfather  and  grandmother;  and  this  combination, 
which  I  hope  to  live  to  see,  would,  one  day,  be  my 
greatest  delight."  The  tears  came  into  her  eyes  as 
she  spoke.  Alas!  alas!  only  six  months  elapsed, 
when  her  darling  daughter,  the  hope  of  her  advanced 
years,  the  object  of  her  fondest  wishes,  died  suddenly. 
Madame  de  Pompadour  was  inconsolable,  and  I  must 
do  M.  de  Marigny  the  justice  to  say  that  he  was 
deeply  afflicted.  His  niece  was  beautiful  as  an  angel, 
and  destined  to  the  highest  fortunes,  and  I  always 
thought  that  he  had  formed  the  design  of  marrying 
her.  A  dukedom  would  have  given  him  rank;  and 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR    217 

that,  joined  to  his  place,  and  to  the  wealth  which  she 
would  have  had  from  her  mother,  would  have  made 
him  a  man  of  great  importance.  The  difference  of 
age  was  not  sufficient  to  be  a  great  obstacle.  People, 
as  usual,  said  the  young  lady  was  poisoned;  for  the 
unexpected  death  of  persons  who  command  a  large 
portion  of  public  attention  always  gives  birth  to  these 
rumours.  The  King  shewed  great  regret,  but  more 
for  the  grief  of  Madame  than  on  account  of  the  loss 
itself,  though  he  had  often  caressed  the  child,  and 
loaded  her  with  presents.  I  owe  it,  also,  to  justice, 
to  say  that  M.  de  Marigny,  the  heir  of  all  Madame  de 
Pompadour's  fortune,  after  the  death  of  her  daughter, 
evinced  the  sincerest  and  deepest  regret  every  time 
she  was  seriously  ill.  She,  soon  after,  began  to  lay 
plans  for  his  establishment.  Several  young  ladies  of 
the  highest  birth  were  thought  of;  and,  perhaps,  he 
would  have  been  made  a  Duke,  but  his  turn  of  mind 
indisposed  him  for  schemes  either  of  marriage  or 
ambition.  Ten  times  he  might  have  been  made 
Prime  Minister,  yet  he  never  aspired  to  it.  "  That 
is  a  man,"  said  Quesnay  to  me,  one  day,  "  who  is  very 
little  known;  nobody  talks  of  his  talents  or  acquire- 
ments, nor  of  his  zealous  and  efficient  patronage  of 
the  arts :  no  man,  since  Colbert,  has  done  so  much  in 
his  situation :  he  is,  moreover,  an  extremely  honour- 
able man,  but  people  will  not  see  in  him  anything  but 
the  brother  of  the  favourite;  and,  because  he  is  fat, 
he  is  thought  dull  and  heavy."  This  was  all  per- 
fectly true.  M.  de  Marigny  had  travelled  in  Italy 
with  very  able  artists,  and  had  acquired  taste,  and 
much  more  information  than  any  of  his  predecessors 
had  possessed.  As  for  the  heaviness  of  his  air,  it 
only  came  upon  him  when  he  grew  fat;  before  that, 
he  had  a  delightful  face.  He  was  then  as  handsome 
as  his  sister.  He  paid  court  to  nobody,  had  no 


218  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

vanity,  and  confined  himself  to  the  society  of  persons 
with  whom  he  was  at  his  ease.  He  went  rather  more 
into  company  at  Court  after  the  King  had  taken  him 
to  ride  with  him  in  his  carriage,  thinking  it  then  his 
duty  to  shew  himself  among  the  courtiers. 

Madame  called  me,  one  day,  into  her  closet,  where 
the  King  was  walking  up  and  down  in  a  very  serious 
mood.  "  You  must,"  said  she,  "  pass  some  days  in  a 
house  in  the  Avenue  de  St.  Cloud,  whither  I  shall 
send  you.  You  will  there  find  a  young  lady  about  to 
lie  in."  The  King  said  nothing,  and  I  was  mute 
from  astonishment.  "  You  will  be  mistress  of  the 
house,  and  preside,  like  one  of  the  fabulous  goddesses, 
at  the  accouchement.  Your  presence  is  necessary,  in 
order  that  everything  may  pass  secretly,  and  accord- 
ing to  the  King's  wish.  You  will  be  present  at  the 
baptism,  and  name  the  father  and  mother."  The 
King  began  to  laugh,  and  said,  "  The  father  is  a  very 
honest  man;"  Madame  added,  "beloved  by  every 
one,  and  adored  by  those  who  know  him."  Madame 
then  took  from  a  little  cupboard  a  small  box,  and 
drew  from  it  an  aigrette  of  diamonds,  at  the  same, 
time  saying  to  the  King,  "  I  have  my  reasons  for  it 
not  being  handsomer."  "  It  is  but  too  much  so,"  said 
the  King;  "how  kind  you  are;"  and  he  then  em- 
braced Madame,  who  wept  with  emotion,  and,  putting 
her  hand  upon  the  King's  heart,  said,  "  This  is  what 
I  wish  to  secure."  The  King's  eyes  then  filled  with 
tears,  and  I  also  began  weeping,  without  knowing 
why.  Afterwards,  the  King  said,  "  Guimard  will  call 
upon  you  every  day,  to  assist  you  with  his  advice, 
and  at  the  critical  moment  you  will  send  for  him. 
You  will  say  that  you  expect  the  sponsors,  and  a 
moment  after  you  will  pretend  to  have  received  a 
letter,  stating  that  they  cannot  come.  You  will,  of 
course,  affect  to  be  very  much  embarrassed;  and 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR    219 

Guimard  will  then  say  that  there  is  nothing  for  it 
but  to  take  the  first  comers.  You  will  then  appoint 
as  godfather  and  godmother  some,  beggar,  or  chair- 
man, and  the  servant  girl  of  the  house,  and  to  whom 
you  will  give  but  twelve  francs,  in  order  not  to 
attract  attention."  "  A  louis,"  added  Madame,  "  to 
obviate  anything  singular,  on  the  other  hand."  "  It  is 
you  who  make  me  economical,  under  certain  circum- 
stances," said  the  King.  "  Do  you  remember  the 
driver  of  the  fiacre?  I  wanted  to  give  him  a  louis, 
and  Due  d'Ayen  said,  '  You  will  be  known ; '  so  that  I 
gave  him  a  crown."  He  was  going  to  tell  the  whole 
story.  Madame  made  a  sign  to  him  to  be  silent, 
which  he  obeyed,  not  without  considerable  reluctance. 
She  afterwards  told  me  that  at  the  time  of  the  fetes 
given  on  occasion  of  the  Dauphin's  marriage,  the 
King  came  to  see  her  at  her  mother's  house  in  a 
hackney-coach.  The  coachman  would  not  go  on,  and 
the  King  would  have  given  him  a  louis.  :'  The  police 
will  hear  of  it,  if  you  do,"  said  the  Due  d'Ayen,  "  and 
its  spies  will  make  inquiries,  which  will,  perhaps,  lead 
to  a  discovery." 

"  Guimard,"  continued  the  King,  "  will  tell  you  the 
names  of  the  father  and  mother;  he  will  be  present 
at  the  ceremony,  and  make  the  usual  presents.  It  is 
but  fair  that  you  also  should  receive  yours;"  and,  as 
he  said  this,  he  gave  me  fifty  louis,  with  that  gracious 
air  that  he  could  so  well  assume  upon  certain  occa- 
sions, and  which  no  person  in  the  kingdom  had  but 
himself.  I  kissed  his  hand  and  wept.  "  You  will 
take  care  of  the  accouchee,  will  you  not?  She  is  a 
good  creature,  who  has  not  invented  gunpowder,  and 
I  confide  her  entirely  to  your  direction;  my  chan- 
cellor will  tell  you  the  rest,"  he  said,  turning  to 
Madame,  and  then  quitted  the  room.  "  Well,  what 
think  you  of  the  part  I  am  playing?  "  asked  Madame. 


220  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

"  It  is  that  of  a  superior  woman,  and  an  excellent 
friend,"  I  replied.  "  It  is  his  heart  I  wish  to  secure," 
said  she ;  "  and  all  those  young  girls  who  have  no 
education  will  not  run  away  with  it  from  me.  I 
should  not  be  equally  confident  were  I  to  see  some 
fine  woman  belonging  to  the  Court,  or  the  city,  at- 
tempt his  conquest." 

I  asked  Madame,  if  the  young  lady  knew  that  the 
King  was  the  father  of  her  child  ?  "  I  do  not  think 
she  does,"  replied  she ;  "  but,  as  he  appeared  fond  of 
her,  there  is  some  reason  to  fear  that  those  about  her 
might  be  too  ready  to  tell  her;  otherwise,"  said  she, 
shrugging  her  shoulders,  "  she,  and  all  the  others,  are 
told  that  he  is  a  Polish  nobleman,  a  relation  of  the 
Queen,  who  has  apartments  in  the  castle."  This 
story  was  contrived  on  account  of  the  cordon  bleu, 
Which  the  King  has  not  always  time  to  lay  aside, 
because,  to  do  that,  he  must  change  his  coat,  and  in 
order  to  account  for  his  having  a  lodging  in  the  castle 
so  near  the  King.  There  were  two  little  rooms  by 
the  side  of  the  chapel,  whither  the  King  retired  from 
his  apartment,  without  being  seen  by  anybody  but  a 
sentinel,  who  had  his  orders,  and  who  did  not  know 
who  passed  through  those  rooms.  The  King  some- 
times went  to  the  Parc-aux-cerfs,  or  received  those 
young  ladies  in  the  apartments  I  have  mentioned. 

I  must  here  interrupt  my  narrative,  to  relate  a 
singular  adventure,  which  is  only  known  to  six  or 
seven  persons,  masters  or  valets.  At  the  time  of  the 
attempt  to  assassinate  the  King,  a  young  girl,  whom 
he  had  seen  several  times,  and  for  whom  he  had 
manifested  more  tenderness  than  for  most,  was  dis- 
tracted at  this  horrible  event.  The  Mother-Abbess  of 
the  Parc-aux-cerfs  perceived  her  extraordinary  grief, 
and  managed  so  as  to  make  her  confess  that  she  knew 
the  Polish  Count  was  the  King  of  France.  She  con- 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR1    221 

fessed  that  she  had  taken  from  his  pocket  two  letters, 
one  of  which  was  from  the  King  of  Spain,  the  other 
from  the  Abbe  de  Broglie.  This  was  discovered 
afterwards,  for  neither  she  nor  the  Mother-Abbess 
knew  the  names  of  the  writers.  The  girl  was  scolded, 
and  M.  Lebel,  first  valet  de  chambre,  who  had  the 
management  of  all  these  affairs,  was  called;  he  took 
the  letters,  and  carried  them  to  the  King,  who  was 
very  much  embarrassed  in  what  manner  to  meet  a 
person  so  well  informed  of  his  condition.  The  girl 
in  question,  having  perceived  that  the  King  came 
secretly  to  see  her  companion,  while  she  was  neglected, 
watched  his  arrival,  and,  at  the  moment  he  entered 
with  the  Abbess,  who  was  about  to  withdraw,  she 
rushed  distractedly  into  the  room  where  her  rival  was. 
She  immediately  threw  herself  at  the  King's  feet. 
"Yes,"  said  she,  "you  are  King  of  all  France;  but 
that  would  be  nothing  to  me  if  you  were  not  also 
monarch  of  my  heart :  do  not  forsake  me,  my  beloved 
sovereign;  I  was  nearly  mad  when  your  life  was 
attempted !  "  The  Mother-Abbess  cried  out,  "  You  are 
mad  now."  The  King  embraced  her,  which  appeared 
to  restore  her  to  tranquillity.  They  succeeded  in 
getting  her  out  of  the  room,  and  a  few  days  after- 
wards the  unhappy  girl  was  taken  to  a  madhouse, 
where  she  was  treated  as  if  she  had  been  insane,  for 
some  days.  But  she  knew  well  enough  that  she  was 
not  so,  and  that  the  King  had  really  been  her  lover. 
This  lamentable  affair  was  related  to  me  by  the 
Mother-Abbess,  when  I  had  some  acquaintance  with 
her  at  the  time  of  the  accouchement  I  have  spoken  of, 
which  I  never  had  before,  nor  since. 

To  return  to  my  history:  Madame  de  Pompadour 
said  to  me,  "  Be  constantly  with  the  accouchee,  to 
prevent  any  stranger,  or  even  the  people  of  the  house, 
from  speaking  to  her.  You  will  always  say  that  he 


222  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

is  a  very  rich  Polish  nobleman,  who  is  obliged  to 
conceal  himself  on  account  of  his  relationship  to  the 
Queen,  who  is  very  devout.  You  will  find  a  wet- 
nurse  in  the  house,  to  whom  you  will  deliver  the 
child.  Guimard  will  manage  all  the  rest.  You 
will  go  to  church  as  a  witness;  everything  must  be 
conducted  as  if  for  a  substantial  citizen.  The  young 
lady  expects  to  lie  in  in  five  or  six  days;  you  will 
dine  with  her,  and  will  not  leave  her  till  she  is  in  a 
state  of  health  to  return  to  the  Parc-aux-cerfs,  which 
she  may  do  in  a  fortnight,  as  I  imagine,  without 
running  any  risk."  I  went,  that  same  evening,  to 
the  Avenue  de  Saint  Cloud,  where  I  found  the 
Abbess  and  Guimard,  an  attendant  belonging  to  the 
castle,  but  without  his  blue  coat.  There  were, 
besides,  a  nurse,  a  wet-nurse,  two  old  men-servants, 
and  a  girl,  who  was  something  between  a  servant 
and  a  waiting-woman.  The  young  lady  was  ex- 
tremely pretty,  and  dressed  very  elegantly,  though 
not  too  remarkably.  I  supped  with  her  and  the 
Mother-Abbess,  who  was  called  Madame  Bertrand. 
I  had  presented  the  aigrette  Madame  de  Pompadour 
gave  me  before  supper,  which  had  greatly  delighted 
the  young  lady,  and  she  was  in  high  spirits. 
Madame  Bertrand  had  been  housekeeper  to  M.  Lebel, 
first  valet  de  chainbre  to  the  King.  He  called  her 
Dominique,  and  she  was  entirely  in  his  confidence. 
The  young  lady  chatted  with  us  after  supper;  she 
appeared  to  be  very  naive.  The  next  day,  I  talked 
to  her  in  private.  She  said  to  me,  "  How  is  the 
Count?"  (It  was  the  King  whom  she  called  by  this 
title.)  "He  will  be  very  sorry  not  to  be  with  me 
now;  but  he  was  obliged  to  set  off  on  a  long 
journey."  I  assented  to  what  she  said.  "  He  is  very 
handsome,"  said  she,  "  and  loves  me  with  all  his 
heart.  He  promised  me  an  allowance;  but  I  love 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     223 

him  disinterestedly;  and,  if  he  would  let  me,  I  would 
follow  him  to  Poland."  She  afterwards  talked  to 
me  about  her  parents,  and  about  M.  Lebel,  whom  she 
knew  by  the  name  of  Durand.  "  My  mother,"  said 
she,  "  kept  a  large  grocer's  shop,  and  my  father  was 
a  man  of  some  consequence;  he  belonged  to  the  Six 
Corps,  and  that,  as  everybody  knows,  is  an  excellent 
thing.  He  was  twice  very  near  being  head-bailiff." 
Her  mother  had  become  bankrupt  at  her  father's 
death,  but  the  Count  had  come  to  her  assistance,  and 
settled  upon  her  fifteen  hundred  francs  a  year, 
besides  giving  her  six  thousand  francs  down.  On 
the  sixth  day,  she  was  brought  to  bed,  and,  according 
to  my  instructions,  she  was  told  the  child  was  a  girl, 
though  it  reality  it  was  a  boy;  she  was  soon  to  be 
told  that  it  was  dead,  in  order  that  no  trace  of  its 
existence  might  remain  for  a  certain  time.  It  was 
eventually  to  be  restored  to  its  mother.  The  King 
gave  each  of  his  children  about  ten  thousand  francs 
a  year.  They  inherited  after  each  other  as  they 
died  off,  and  seven  or  eight  were  already  dead.  I 
returned  to  Madame  de  Pompadour,  to  whom  I  had 
written  every  day  by  Guimard.  The  next  day,  the 
King  sent  for  me  into  the  room;  he  did  not  say 
a  word  as  to  the  business  I  had  been  employed  upon; 
but  he  gave  me  a  large  gold  snuff-box,  containing 
two  rouleaux  of  twenty-five  louis  each.  I  curtsied  to 
him,  and  retired.  Madame  asked  me  a  great  many 
questions  of  the  young  lady,  and  laughed  heartily  at 
her  simplicity,  and  at  all  she  had  said  about  the 
Polish  nobleman.  "  He  is  disgusted  with  the 
Princess,  and,  I  think,  will  return  to  Poland  for  ever, 
in  two  months."  "And  the  young  lady?"  said  I. 
"  She  will  be  married  in  the  country,"  said  she,  "  with 
a  portion  of  forty  thousand  crowns  at  the  most  and  a 
few  diamonds."  This  little  adventure,  which  initiated 


224  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

me  into  the  King's  secrets,  far  from  procuring  for 
me  increased  marks  of  kindness  from  him,  seemed 
to  produce  a  coldness  towards  me;  probably  be- 
cause he  was  ashamed  of  my  knowing  his  obscure 
amours.  He  was  also  embarrassed  by  the  services 
Madame  de  Pompadour  had  rendered  him  on  this  oc- 
casion. 

Besides  the  little  mistresses  of  the  Parc-aux-cerfs, 
the  King  had  sometimes  intrigues  with  ladies  of  the 
Court,  or  from  Paris,  who  wrote  to  him.  There  was 
a  Madame  de  L — • — ,  who,  though  married  to  a  young 
and  amiable  man,  with  two  hundred  thousand  francs 
a  year,  wished  absolutely  to  become  his  mistress. 
She  contrived  to  have  a  meeting  with  him:  and  the 
King,  who  knew  who  she  was,  was  persuaded  that  she 
was  really  madly  in  love  with  him.  There  is  no 
knowing  what  might  have  happened,  had  she  not 
died.  Madame  was  very  much  alarmed,  and  was 
only  relieved  by  her  death  from  inquietude.  A  cir- 
cumstance took  place  at  this  time  which  doubled 
Madame's  friendship  for  me.  A  rich  man,  who  had 
a  situation  in  the  Revenue  Department,  cabled  on  me 
one  day  very  secretly,  and  told  me  that  he  had  some- 
thing of  importance  to  communicate  to  Madame  la 
Marquise,  but  that  he  should  find  himself  very  much 
embarrassed  in  communicating  it  to  her  personally, 
and  that  he  should  prefer  acquainting  me  with  it. 
He  then  told  me,  what  I  already  knew,  that  he  had  a 
very  beautiful  wife,  of  whom  he  was  passionately 
fond;  that  having  on  one  occasion  perceived  her 
kissing  a  little  porte-feuille,  he  endeavoured  to  get 
possession  of  it,  supposing  there  was  some  mystery 
attached  to  it.  One  day  that  she  suddenly  left  the 
room  to  go  upstairs  to  see  her  sister,  who  had  been 
brought  to  bed,  he  took  the  opportunity  of  opening 
the  porte-feuille,  and  was  very  much  surprised  to  find 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     225 

in  it  a  portrait  of  the  King,  and  a  very  tender  letter 
written  by  His  Majesty.  Of  the  latter  he  took  a 
copy,  as  also  of  an  unfinished  letter  of  his  wife,  in 
which  she  vehemently  entreated  the  King  to  allow 
her  to  have  the  pleasure  of  an  interview — the  means 
she  pointed  out.  She  was  to  go  masked  to  the  public 
ball  at  Versailles,  where  His  Majesty  could  meet  her 

under  favour  of  a  mask.     I  assured  M.  de that 

I  should  acquaint  Madame  with  the  affair,  who  would, 
no  doubt,  feel  very  grateful  for  the  communication. 
He  then  added,  "  Tell  Madame  la  Marquise  that  my 
wife  is  very  clever  and  very  intriguing.  I  adore  her, 
and  should  run  distracted  were  she  to  be  taken  from 
me."  I  lost  not  a  moment  in  acquainting  Madame 
with  the  affair  and  gave  her  the  letter.  She  became 
serious  and  pensive,  and  I  since  learned  that  she  con- 
sulted M.  Berrier,  Lieutenant  of  Police,  who,  by  a 
very  simple  but  ingeniously  conceived  plan,  put  an 
end  to  the  designs  of  this  lady.  He  demanded  an 
audience  of  the  King,  and  told  him  that  there  was  a 
lady  in  Paris  who  was  making  free  with  His  Majesty's 
name;  that  he  had  been  given  the  copy  of  a  letter, 
supposed  to  have  been  written  by  His  Majesty  to  the 
lady  in  question.  The  copy  he  put  into  the  King's 
hands,  who  read  it  in  great  confusion,  and  then  tore 
it  furiously  to  pieces.  M.  Berrier  added,  that  it  was 
rumoured  that  this  lady  was  to  meet  His  Majesty  at 
the  public  ball,  and,  at  this  very  moment,  it  so  hap- 
pened that  a  letter  was  put  into  the  King's  hand, 
which  proved  to  be  from  the  lady,  appointing  the 
meeting;  at  least,  M.  Berrier  judged  so,  as  the  King 
appeared  very  much  surprised  on  reading  it,  and  said, 
"  It  must  be  allowed,  M.  le  Lieutenant  of  Police,  that 
you  are  well  informed."  M.  Berrier  added,  "  I  think 
it  my  duty  to  tell  Your  Majesty  that  this  lady  passes 
for  a  very  intriguing  person."  "  I  believe,"  replied 


226  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

the  King,  "  that  it  is  not  without  deserving  it  that 
she  has  got  that  character." 

Madame  de  Pompadour  had  many  vexations  in  the 
midst  of  all  her  grandeur.  She  often  received  anony- 
mous letters,  threatening  her  with  poison  or  assassi- 
nation: her  greatest  fear,  however,  was  that  of  being 
supplanted  by  a  rival.  I  never  saw  her  in  a  greater 
agitation  than,  one  evening,  on  her  return  from  the 
drawing-room  at  Marly.  She  threw  down  her  cloak 
and  muff,  the  instant  she  came  in,  with  an  air  of  ill- 
humour,  and  undressed  herself  in  a  hurried  manner. 
Having  dismissed  her  other  women,  she  said  to  me, 
"  I  think  I  never  saw  anybody  so  insolent  as  Madame 
de  Coaslin.  I  was  seated  at  the  same  table  with  her 
this  evening,  at  a  game  of  brelan,  and  you  cannot 
imagine  what  I  suffered.  The  men  and  women 
seemed  to  come  in  relays  to  watch  us.  Madame  de 
Coaslin  said  two  or  three  times,  looking  at  me,  Va 
tout,  in  the  most  insulting  manner.  I  thought  I 
should  have  fainted,  when  she  said,  in  a  triumphant 
tone,  I  have  the  brelan  of  kings.  I  wish  you  had 
seen  her  courtesy  to  me  on  parting."  "  Did  the 
King,"  said  I,  "show  her  particular  attention?" 
"  You  don't  know  him,"  said  she;  "if  he  were  going 
to  lodge  her  this  very  night  in  my  apartment,  he 
would  behave  coldly  to  her  before  people,  and  would 
treat  me  with  the  utmost  kindness.  This  is  the  effect 
of  his  education,  for  he  is,  by  nature,  kind-hearted 
and  frank."  Madame  de  Pompadour's  alarms  lasted 
for  some  months,  when  she,  one  day,  said  to  me, 
"  That  haughty  Marquise  has  missed  her  aim;  she 
frightened  the  King  by  her  grand  airs,  and  was  in- 
cessantly teasing  him  for  money.  Now  you,  perhaps, 
may  not  know  that  the  King  would  sign  an  order  for 
forty  thousand  louis  without  a  thought,  and  would 
give  a  hundred  out  of  his  little  private  treasury  with 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR    227 

the  greatest  reluctance.  Lebel,  who  likes  me  better 
than  he  would  a  new  mistress  in  my  place,  either  by 
chance  or  design  had  brought  a  charming  little  sul- 
tana to  the  Parc-aux-cerfs,  who  has  cooled  the  King 
a  little  towards  the  haughty  Vashti,  by  giving  him 

occupation,  has  received  a  hundred  thousand 

francs,  some  jewels,  and  an  estate.  Jannette  has 
rendered  me  great  service,  by  showing  the  King  ex- 
tracts from  the  letters  broken  open  at  the  post-office, 
concerning  the  report  that  Madame  de  Coaslin  was 
coming  into  favour.  The  King  was  much  impressed 
by  a  letter  from  an  old  counsellor  of  the  Parliament, 
who  wrote  to  one  of  his  friends  as  follows :  "  It  is 
quite  as  reasonable  that  the  King  should  have  a 
female  friend  and  confidante — as  that  we,  in  our 
several  degrees,  should  so  indulge  ourselves;  but  it 
is  desirable  that  he  should  keep  the  one  he  has;  she 
is  gentle,  injures  nobody,  and  her  fortune  is  made. 
The  one  who  is  now  talked  of  will  be  as  haughty  as 
high  birth  can  make  her.  She  must  have  an  allow- 
ance of  a  million  francs  a  year,  since  she  is  said  to  be 
excessively  extravagant;  her  relations  must  be  made 
Dukes,  Governors  of  provinces,  and  Marshals,  and,  in 
the  end,  will  surround  the  King,  and  overawe  the 
Ministers." 

Madame  de  Pompadour  had  this  passage,  which 
had  been  sent  to  her  by  M.  Jannette,  the  Intendant  of 
the  Police,  who  enjoyed  the  King's  entire  confidence. 
He  had  carefully  watched  the  King's  look,  while  he 
read  the  letter,  and  he  saw  that  the  arguments  of 
this  counsellor,  who  was  not  a  disaffected  person, 
made  a  great  impression  upon  him.  Some  time 
afterwards,  Madame  de  Pompadour  said  to  me, 
"  The  haughty  Marquise  behaved  like  Mademoiselle 
Deschamps,  and  she  is  turned  off."  This  was  not 
Madame's  only  subject  of  alarm.  A  relation  of 

Memoirs — 8  VoL  1 


228  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

Madame  d'Estrades,  wife  to  the  Marquis  de  C -, 

had  made  the  most  pointed  advances  to  the  King, 
much  more  than  were  necessary  for  a  man  who 
justly  thought  himself  the  handsomest  man  in 
France,  and  who  was,  moreover,  a  King.  He  was 
perfectly  persuaded  that  every  woman  would  yield  to 
the  slightest  desire  he  might  deign  to  manifest.  He, 
therefore,  thought  it  a  mere  matter. of  course  that 
women  fell  in  love  with  him.  M.  de  Stainville  had 
a  hand  in  marring  the  success  of  that  intrigue;  and, 

soon  afterwards,  the  Marquise  de  C ,  who  was 

confined  to  her  apartments  at  Marly,  by  her  rela- 
tions, escaped  through  a  closet  to  a  rendezvous,  and 
was  caught  with  a  young  man  in  a  corridor.  The 
Spanish  Ambassador,  coming  out  of  his  apartments 
with  flambeaux,  was  the  person  who  witnessed  this 
scene.  Madame  d'Estrades  affected  to  know  nothing 
of  her  cousin's  intrigues,  and  kept  up  an  appearance 
of  the  tenderest  attachment  to  Madame  de  Pompa- 
dour, whom  she  was  habitually  betraying.  She 
acted  as  spy  for  M.  d'Argenson,  in  the  cabinets,  and 
in  Madame  de  Pompadour's  apartments;  and,  when 
she  could  discover  nothing,  she  had  recourse  to  her 
invention,  in  order  that  she  might  not  lose  her 
importance  with  her  lover.  This  Madame  d'Estrades 
owed  her  whole  existence  to  the  bounties  of  Madame, 
and  yet,  ugly  as  she  was,  she  had  tried  to  get  the 
King  away  from  her.  One  day,  when  he  had  got 
rather  drunk  at  Choisy  (I  think,  the  only  time  that 
ever  happened  to  him),  he  went  on  board  a  beautiful 
barge,  whither  Madame,  being  ill  of  an  indigestion, 
could  not  accompany  him.  Madame  d'Estrades 
seized  this  opportunity.  She  got  into  the  barge,  and, 
on  their  return,  as  it  was  dark,  she  followed  the 
King  into  a  private  closet,  where  he  was  believed  to 
be  sleeping  on  a  couch,  and  there  went  somewhat 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR    229 

beyond  any  ordinary  advances  to  him.  Her  account 
of  the  matter  to  Madame  was,  that  she  had  gone  into 
the  closet  upon  her  own  affairs,  and  that  the  King 
had  followed  her,  and  had  tried  to  ravish  her.  She 
was  at  full  liberty  to  make  what  story  she  pleased, 
for  the  King  knew  neither  what  he  had  said,  nor 
what  he  had  done.  I  shall  finish  this  subject  by  a 
short  history  concerning  a  young  lady.  I  had  been,  , 
one  day,  to  the  theatre  at  Compiegne.  When  I 
returned,  Madame  asked  me  several  questions  about 
the  play;  whether  there  was  much  company,  and 
whether  I  did  not  see  a  very  beautiful  girl.  I 
replied,  "  That  there  was,  indeed,  a  girl  in  a  box  near 
mine,  who  was  surrounded  by  all  the  young  men 
about  the  Court."  She  smiled,  and  said,  "  That  is 
Mademoiselle  Dorothee;  she  went,  this  evening,  to 
see  the  King  sup  in  public,  and  to-morrow  she  is  to 
be  taken  to  the  hunt.  You  are  surprised  to  find  me 
so  well  informed,  but  I  know  a  great  deal  more  about 
her.  She  was  brought  here  by  a  Gascon,  named 
Dubarre  or  Dubarri,  who  is  the  greatest  scoundrel  in 
France.  He  founds  all  his  hopes  of  advancement  on 
Mademoiselle  Dorothea's  charms,  which  he  thinks  the 
King  cannot  resist.  She  is,  really,  very  beautiful. 
She  was  pointed  out  to  me  in  my  little  garden, 
whither  she  was  taken  to  walk  on  purpose.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  a  water-carrier,  at  Strasbourg,  and 
her  charming  lover  demands  to  be  sent  Minister  to 
Cologne,  as  a  beginning."  "  Is  it  possible,  Madame, 
that  you  can  have  been  rendered  uneasy  by  such  a 
creature  as  that?"  "Nothing  is  impossible,"  replied 
she;  "though  I  think  the  King  would  scarcely  dare 
to  give  such  a  scandal.  Besides,  happily,  Lebel,  to 
quiet  his  conscience,  told  the  King  that  the  beautiful 
Dorothea's  lover  is  infected  with  a  horrid  disease;" 
and,  added  he,  "  Your  Majesty  would  not  get  rid  of 


230  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

that  as  you  have  done  of  the  scrofula."  This 
was  quite  enough  to  keep  the  young  lady  at  a  dis- 
tance. 

"  I  pity  you  sincerely,  Madame,"  said  I,  "  while 
everybody  else  envies  you."  "  Ah ! "  replied  she, 
"  my  life  is  that  of  the  Christian,  a  perpetual  war- 
fare. This  was  not  the  case  with  the  woman  who 
enjoyed  the  favour  of  Louis  XIV.  Madame  de  La 
Valliere  suffered  herself  to  be  deceived  by  Madame 
de  Montespan,  but  it  was  her  own  fault,  or,  rather, 
the  effect  of  her  extreme  good  nature.  She  was 
entirely  devoid  of  suspicion  at  first,  because  she 
could  not  believe  her  friend  perfidious.  Madame 
de  Montespan's  empire  was  shaken  by  Madame  de 
Fontanges,  and  overthrown  by  Madame  de  Main- 
tenon;  but  her  haughtiness,  her  caprices,  had  already 
alienated  the  King.  He  had  not,  however,  such 
rivals  as  mine;  it  is  true,  their  baseness  is  my 
security.  I  have,  in  general,  little  to  fear  but  casual 
infidelities,  and  the  chance  that  they  may  not  all  be 
sufficiently  transitory  for  my  safety.  The  King  likes 
variety,  but  he  is  also  bound  by  habit;  he  fears 
eclats,  and  detests  manoeuvring  women.  The  little 
Marechale  (de  Mirepoix)  one  day  said  to  me,  '  It  is 
your  staircase  that  the  King  loves;  he  is  accustomed 
to  go  up  and  down  it.  But,  if  he  found  another 
woman  to  whom  he  could  talk  of  hunting  and  busi- 
ness as  he  does  to  you,  it  would  be  just  the  same  to 
him  in  three  days.' ' 

I  write  without  plan,  order,  or  date,  just  as  things 
come  into  my  mind;  and  I  shall  now  go  to  the  Abbe 
de  Bernis,  whom  I  liked  very  much,  because  he  was 
good-natured,  and  treated  me  kindly.  One  day,  just 
as  Madame  de  Pompadour  had  finished  dressing,  M. 
de  Noailles  asked  to  speak  to  her  in  private.  I,  ac- 
cordingly, retired.  The  Count  looked  full  of  im- 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     231 

portant  business.     I  heard  their  conversation,  as  there 
was  only  the  door  between  us. 

"  A  circumstance  has  taken  place,"  said  he,  "  which 
I  think  it  my  duty  to  communicate  to  the  King;  but 
I  would  not  do  so  without  first  informing  you  of  it, 
since  it  concerns  one  of  your  friends  for  whom  I  have 
the  utmost  regard  and  respect.  The  Abbe  de  Bernis 
had  a  mind  to  shoot,  this  morning,  and  went,  with 
two  or  three  of  his  people,  armed  with  guns,  into  the 
little  park,  where  the  Dauphin  would  not  venture  to 
shoot  without  asking  the  King's  permission.  The 
guards,  surprised  at  hearing  the  report  of  guns,  ran 
to  the  spot,  and  were  greatly  astonished  at  the  sight 
of  M.  de  Bernis.  They  very  respectfully  asked  to  see 
his  permission,  when  they  found,  to  their  astonish- 
ment, that  he  had  none.  They  begged  of  him  to 
desist,  telling  him  that,  if  they  did  their  duty,  they 
should  arrest  him;  but  they  must,  at  all  events,  in- 
stantly acquaint  me  with  the  circumstance,  as  Ranger 
of  the  Park  of  Versailles.  They  added,  that  the 
King  must  have  heard  the  firing,  and  that  they  begged 
of  him  to  retire.  The  Abbe  apologized,  on  the  score 
of  ignorance,  and  assured  them  that  he  had  my  per- 
mission. '  The  Comte  de  Noailles/  said  they,  '  could 
only  grant  permission  to  shoot  in  the  more  remote 
parts,  and  in  the  great  park.' '  The  Count  made 
a  great  merit  of  his  eagerness  to  give  the  earliest 
information  to  Madame.  She  told  him  to  leave  the 
task  of  communicating  it  to  the  King  to  her,  and 
begged  of  him  to  say  nothing  about  the  matter.  M. 
de  Marigny,  who  did  not  like  the  Abbe,  came  to  see  me 
in  the  evening;  and  I  affected  to  know  nothing  of 
the  story,  and  to  hear  it  for  the  first  time  from  him. 
"  He  must  have  been  out  of  his  senses,"  said  he,  "  to 
shoot  under  the  King's  windows," — and  enlarged 
much  on  the  airs  he  gave  himself.  Madame  de  Pom- 


232  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

padour  gave  this  affair  the  best  colouring  she  could: 
the  King  was,  nevertheless,  greatly  disgusted  at  it, 
and  twenty  times,  since  the  Abbe's  disgrace,  when  he 
passed  over  that  part  of  the  park,  he  said,  "  This  is 
where  the  Abbe  took  his  pleasure."  The  King  never 
liked  him;  and  Madame  de  Pompadour  told  me  one 
night,  after  his  disgrace,  when  I  was  sitting  up  with 
her  in  her  illness,  that  she  saw,  before  he  had  been 
Minister  a  week,  that  he  was  not  fit  for  his  office. 
"  If  that  hypocritical  Bishop,"  said  she,  speaking  of 
the  Bishop  of  Mirepoix,  "  had  not  prevented  the  King 
from  granting  him  a  pension  of  four  hundred  louis  a 
year,  which  he  had  promised  me,  he  would  never 
have  been  appointed  Ambassador.  I  should,  after- 
wards, have  been  able  to  give  him  an  income  of  eight 
hundred  louis  a  year,  perhaps  the  place  of  master  of 
the  chapel.  Thus  he  would  have  been  happier,  and  I 
should  have  had  nothing  to  regret."  I  took  the  lib- 
erty of  saying  that  I  did  not  agree  with  her.  That 
he  had  yet  remaining  advantages,  of  which  he  could 
not  be  deprived;  that  his  exile  would  terminate;  and 
that  he  would  then  be  a  Cardinal,  with  an  income  of 
eight  thousand  louis  a  year.  "  That  is  true,"  she 
replied ;  "  but  I  think  of  the  mortifications  he  has 
undergone,  and  of  the  ambition  which  devours  him; 
and,  lastly,  I  think  of  myself.  I  should  have  still 
enjoyed  his  society,  and  should  have  had,  in  my  de- 
clining years,  an  old  and  amiable  friend,  if  he  had 
not  been  Minister."  The  King  sent  him  away  in 
anger,  and  was  strongly  inclined  to  refuse  him  the 
hat.  M.  Quesnay  told  me,  some  months  afterwards, 
that  the  Abbe  wanted  to  be  Prime  Minister;  that  he 
had  drawn  up  a  memorial,  setting  forth  that  in  diffi- 
cult crises  the  public  good  required  that  there  should 
be  a  central  point  (that  was  his  expression),  towards 
which  everything  should  be  directed.  Madame  de 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR    233 

Pompadour  would  not  present  the  memorial;  he 
insisted,  though  she  said  to  him,  "  You  will  ruin  your- 
self." The  King  cast  his  eyes  over  it,  and  said  " '  cen- 
tral point,' — that  is  to  say  himself,  he  wants  to  be 
Prime  Minister."  Madame  tried  to  apologize  for  him, 
and  said,  "  That  expression  might  refer  to  the 
Marechal  de  Belle-Isle."  "  Is  he  not  just  about  to  be 
made  Cardinal  ?  "  said  the  King.  "  This  is  a  fine 
manoeuvre;  he  knows  well  enough  that,  by  means  of 
that  dignity,  he  would  compel  the  Ministers  to  as- 
semble at  his  house,  and  then  M.  1'Abbe  would  be  the 
central  point.  Wherever  there  is  a  Cardinal  in  the 
council,  he  is  sure,  in  the  end,  to  take  the  lead.  Louis 
XIV.,  for  this  reason,  did  not  choose  to  admit  the 
Cardinal  de  Janson  into  the  council,  in  spite  of  his 
great  esteem  for  him.  The  Cardinal  de  Fleury  told 
me  the  same  thing.  He  had  some  desire  that  the 
Cardinal  de  Tencin  should  succeed  him;  but  his  sister 
was  such  an  intrigante  that  Cardinal  de  Fleury  ad- 
vised me  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter,  and  I 
behaved  so  as  to  destroy  all  his  hopes,  and  to  unde- 
ceive others.  M.  d'Argenson.  has  strongly  impressed 
me  with  the  same  opinion,  and  has  succeeded  in  de- 
stroying all  my  respect  for  him."  This  is  what  the 
King  said,  according  to  my  friend  Quesnay,  who,  by 
the  bye,  was  a  great  genius,  as  everybody  said,  and  a 
very  lively,  agreeable  man.  He  liked  to  chat  with  me 
about  the  country.  I  had  been  bred  up  there,  and  he 
used  to  set  me  a  talking  about  the  meadows  of  Nor- 
mandy and  Poitou,  the  wealth  of  the  farmers,  and  the 
modes  of  culture.  He  was  the  best-natured  man  in 
the  world,  and  the  farthest  removed  from  petty  in- 
trigue. While  he  lived  at  Court,  he  was  much  more 
occupied  with  the  best  manner  of  cultivating  land 
than  with  anything  that  passed  around  him.  The 
man  whom  he  esteemed  the  most  was  M.  de  la 


234  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

Riviere,  a  Counsellor  of  Parliament,  who  was  also 
Intendant  of  Martinique;  he  looked  upon  him  as  a 
man  of  the  greatest  genius,  and  thought  him  the  only 
person  fit  for  the  financial  department  of  adminis- 
tration. 

The  Comtesse  d'Estrades,  who  owed  everything  to 
Madame  de  Pompadour,  was  incessantly  intriguing 
against  her.  She  was  clever  enough  to  destroy  all 
proofs  of  her  manoeuvres,  but  she  could  not  so  easily 
prevent  suspicion.  Her  intimate  connection  with  M. 
d'Argenson  gave  offence  to  Madame,  and,  for  some 
time,  she  was  more  reserved  with  her.  She,  after- 
wards, did  a  thing  which  justly  irritated  the  King  and 
Madame.  The  King,  who  wrote  a  great  deal,  had 
written  to  Madame  de  Pompadour  a  long  letter  con- 
cerning an  assembly  of  the  Chambers  of  Parliament, 
and  had  enclosed  a  letter  of  M.  Berrier.  Madame 
was  ill,  and  laid  those  letters  on  a  little  table  by  her 
bedside.  M.  de  Gontaut  came  in,  and  gossipped 
about  trifles,  as  usual.  Madame  d'Amblimont  also 
came,  and  stayed  but  very  little  time.  Just  as  I  was 
going  to  resume  a  book  which  I  had  been  reading  to 
Madame,  the  Comtesse  d'Estrades  entered,  placed  her- 
self near  Madame's  bed,  and  talked  to  her  for  some 
time.  As  soon  as  she  was  gone,  Madame  called  me, 
asked  what  was  o'clock,  and  said,  "  Order  my  door  to 
be  shut,  the  King  will  soon  be  here."  I  gave  the 
order,  and  returned;  and  Madame  told  me  to  give 
her  the  King's  letter,  which  was  on  the  table  with 
some  other  papers.  I  gave  her  the  papers,  and  told 
her  there  was  nothing  else.  She  was  very  uneasy  at 
not  finding  the  letter,  and,  after  enumerating  the  per- 
sons who  had  been  in  the  room,  she  said,  "  It  cannot 
be  the  little  Countess,  nor  Gontaut,  who  has  taken 
this  letter.  It  can  only  be  the  Comtesse  d'Estrades; 
— and  that  is  too  bad."  The  King  came,  and  was 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     235 

extremely  angry,  as  Madame  told  me.  Two  days 
afterwards,  he  sent  Madame  d'Estrades  into  exile. 
There  was  no  doubt  that  she  took  the  letter;  the 
King's  handwriting  had  probably  awakened  her  curi- 
osity. This  occurrence  gave  great  pain  to  M.  d'Ar- 
genson,  who  was  bound  to  her,  as  Madame  de  Pom- 
padour said,  by  his  love  of  intrigue.  This  redoubled 
his  hatred  of  Madame,  and  she  accused  him  of  favour- 
ing the  publication  of  a  libel,  in  which  she  was  repre- 
sented as  a  worn-out  mistress,  reduced  to  the  vile 
occupation  of  providing  new  objects  to  please  her 
lover's  appetite.  She  was  characterised  as  superin- 
tendent of  the  Parc-aux-cerfs,  which  was  said  to  cost 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  louis  a  year.  Madame  de 
Pompadour  did,  indeed,  try  to  conceal  some  of  the 
King's  weaknesses,  but  she  never  knew  one  of  the  sul- 
tanas of  that  seraglio.  There  were,  however,  scarcely 
ever  more  than  two  at  once,  and  often  only  one. 
When  they  married,  they  received  some  jewels,  and 
four  thousand  louis.  The  Parc-aux-cerfs  was  some- 
times vacant  for  five  or  six  months.  I  was  surprised, 
some  time  after,  at  seeing  the  Duchesse  de  Luynes, 
Lady  of  Honour  to  the  Queen,  come  privately  to  see 
Madame  de  Pompadour.  She  afterwards  came  openly. 
One  evening,  after  Madame  was  in  bed,  she  called  me, 
and  said,  "  My  dear,  you  will  be  delighted ;  the  Queen 
has  given  me  the  place  of  Lady  of  the  Palace;  to- 
morrow I  am  to  be  presented  to  her:  you  must  make 
me  look  well."  I  knew  that  the  King  was  not  so  well 
pleased  at  this  as  she  was;  he  was  afraid  that  it 
would  give  rise  to  scandal,  and  that  it  might  be 
thought  he  had  forced  this  nomination  upon  the 
Queen.  He  had,  however,  done  no  such  thing.  It 
had  been  represented  to  the  Queen  that  it  was  an  act 
of  heroism  on  her  part  to  forget  the  past;  that  all 
scandal  would  be  obliterated  when  Madame  de  Pom- 


236  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

padour  was  seen  to  belong  to  the  Court  in  an  honour- 
able manner;  and  that  it  would  be  the  best  proof  that 
nothing  more  than  friendship  now  subsisted  between 
the  King  and  the  favourite.  The  Queen  received  her 
very  graciously.  The  devotees  flattered  themselves 
they  should  be  protected  by  Madame,  and,  for  some 
time,  were  full  of  her  praises.  Several  of  the  Dau- 
phin's friends  came  in  private  to  see  her,  and  some 
obtained  promotion.  The  Chevalier  du  Muy,  how- 
ever, refused  to  come.  The  King  had  the  greatest 
possible  contempt  for  them,  and  granted  them  noth- 
ing with  a  good  grace.  He,  one  day,  said  of  a  man 
of  great  family,  who  wished  to  be  made  Captain  of  the 
Guards,  "  He  is  a  double  spy,  who  wants  to  be  paid  on 
both  sides."  This  was  the  moment  at  which  Madame 
de  Pompadour  seemed  to  me  to  enjoy  the  most  com- 
plete satisfaction.  The  devotees  came  to  visit  her 
without  scruple,  and  did  not  forget  to  make  use  of 
every  opportunity  of  serving  themselves.  Madame 

de  Lu had  set  them  the  example.  The  Doctor 

laughed  at  this  change  in  affairs,  and  was  very  merry 
at  the  expense  of  the  saints.  "  You  must  allow,  how- 
ever, that  they  are  consistent,"  said  I,  "  and  may  be 
sincere."  "Yes,"  said  he;  "but  then  they  should 
not  ask  for  anything." 

One  day,  I  was  at  Doctor  Quesnay's,  whilst 
Madame  de  Pompadour  was  at  the  theatre.  The 
Marquis  de  Mirabeau  came  in,  and  the  conversation 
was,  for  some  time,  extremely  tedious  to  me,  run- 
ning entirely  on  net  produce;  at  length,  they  talked  of 
other  things. 

'Mirabeau  said,  "  I  think  the  King  looks  ill,  he 
grows  old."  "  So  much  the  worse,  a  thousand  times 
so  much  the  worse,"  said  Quesnay;  "  it  would  be  the 
greatest  possible  loss  to  France  if  he  died;"  and 
he  raised  his  hands,  and  sighed  deeply.  "  I  do  not 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     237 

doubt  that  you  are  attached  to  the  King,  and  with 
reason,"  said  Mirabeau ;  "  I  am  attached  to  him  too ; 
but  I  never  saw  you  so  much  moved."  "  Ah ! "  said 
Quesnay,  "  I  think  of  what  would  follow."  "  Well, 
the  Dauphin  is  virtuous."  "  Yes ;  and  full  of  good 
intentions;  nor  is  he  deficient  in  understanding;  but 
canting  hypocrites  would  possess  an  absolute  empire 
over  a  Prince  who  regards  them  as  oracles.  The 
Jesuits  would  govern  the  kingdom,  as  they  did  at  the 
end  of  Louis  XIV.'s  reign:  and  you  would  see  the 
fanatical  Bishop  of  Verdun  Prime  Minister,  and  La 
Vauguyon  all-powerful  under  some  other  title.  The 
Parliaments  must  then  mind  how  they  behave;  they 
will  not  be  better  treated  than  my  friends  the  philos- 
ophers." "  But  they  go  too  far,"  said  Mirabeau ; 
"why  openly  attack  religion?"  "I  allow  that,"  re- 
plied the  Doctor;  "but  how  is  it  possible  not  to  be 
rendered  indignant  by  the  fanaticism  of  others,  and 
by  recollecting  all  the  blood  that  has  flowed  dur- 
ing the  last  two  hundred  years?  You  must  not  then 
again  irritate  them,  and  revive  in  France  the  time 
of  Mary  in  England.  But  what  is  done  is  done, 
and  I  often  exhort  them  to  be  moderate;  I  wish  they 
would  follow  the  example  of  our  friend  Duclos." 
"  You  are  right,"  replied  Mirabeau ;  "  he  said  to  me 
a  few  days  ago,  '  These  philosophers  are  going  on  at 
such  a  rate  that  they  will  force  me  to  go  to  vespers 
and  high  mass ; '  but,  in  fine,  the  Dauphin  is  virtuous, 
well-informed,  and  intellectual."  "  It  is  the  com- 
mencement of  his  reign,  I  fear,"  said  Quesnay,  "  when 
the  imprudent  proceedings  of  our  friends  will  be  rep- 
resented to  him  in  the  most  unfavourable  point  of 
view;  when  the  Jansenists  and  Molinists  will  make 
common  cause,  and  be  strongly  supported  by  the 
Dauphine.  I  thought  that  M.  de  Muy  was  moder- 
ate, and  that  he  would  temper  the  headlong  fury  of 


238  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

the  others;  but  I  heard  him  say  that  Voltaire  merited 
condign  punishment.  Be  assured,  sir,  that  the  times 
of  John  Huss  and  Jerome  of  Prague  will  return ;  but 
I  hope  not  to  live  to  see  it.  I  approve  of  Voltaire 
having  hunted  down  the  Pompignans :  were  it  not  for 
the  ridicule  with  which  he  covered  them,  that  bour- 
geois Marquis  would  have  been  preceptor  to  the  young 
Princes,  and,  aided  by  his  brother,  would  have  suc- 
ceeded in  again  lighting  the  faggots  of  persecution." 
"  What  ought  to  give  you  confidence  in  the  Dauphin," 
said  Mirabeau,  "  is,  that,  notwithstanding  the  devo- 
tion of  Pompignan,  he  turns  him  into  ridicule.  A 
short  time  back,  seeing  him  strutting  about  with  an 
air  of  inflated  pride,  he  said  to  a  person,  who  told  it 
to  me,  '  Our  friend  Pompignan  thinks  that  he  is  some- 
thing.' '  On  returning  home,  I  wrote  down  this  con- 
versation. 

I,  one  day,  found  Quesnay  in  great  distress.  "  Mira- 
beau," said  he,  "  is  sent  to  Vincennes,  for  his  work 
on  taxation.  The  Farmers  General  have  denounced 
him,  and  procured  his  arrest;  his  wife  is  going  to 
throw  herself  at  the  feet  of  Madame  de  Pompadour 
to-day."  A  few  minutes  afterwards,  I  went  into 
Madame's  apartment,  to  assist  at  her  toilet,  and  the 
Doctor  came  in.  Madame  said  to  him,  "  You  must 
be  much  concerned  at  the  disgrace  of  your  friend 
Mirabeau.  I  am  sorry  for  it  too,  for  I  like  his 
brother."  Quesnay  replied,  "  I  am  very  far  from  be- 
lieving him  to  be  actuated  by  bad  intentions,  Madame ; 
he  loves  the  King  and  the  people."  "  Yes,"  said 
she ;  "  his  Ami  des  Homines  did  him  great  honour." 
At  this  moment  the  Lieutenant  of  Police  entered,  and 
Madame  said  to  him,  "  Have  you  seen  M.  de  Mira- 
beau's  book?"  "Yes,  Madame;  but  it  was  not  I 
who  denounced  it?"  "What  do  you  think  of  it?" 
"  I  think  he  might  have  said  almost  all  it  contains 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     239 

with  impunity,  if  he  had  been  more  circumspect  as  to 
the  manner;  there  is,  among  other  objectionable 
passages,  this,  which  occurs  at  the  beginning:  Your 
Majesty  has  about  twenty  millions  of  subjects;  it  is 
only  by  means  of  money  that  you  can  obtain  their  serv- 
ices, and  there  is  no  money."  "  What,  is  there  really 
that,  Doctor  ?  "  said  Madame.  "  It  is  true,  they  are 
the  first  lines  in  the  book,  and  I  confess  that  they  are 
imprudent;  but,  in  reading  the  work,  it  is  clear  that 
he  laments  that  patriotism  is  extinct  in  the  hearts  of 
his  fellow-citizens,  and  that  he  desires  to  rekindle  it." 
The  King  entered:  we  went  out,  and  I  wrote  down 
on  Quesnay's  table  what  I  had  just  heard.  I  then 
returned  to  finish  dressing  Madame  de  Pompadour: 
she  said  to  me,  "  The  King  is  extremely  angry  with 
Mirabeau;  but  I  tried  to  soften  him,  and  so  did 
the  Lieutenant  of  Police.  This  will  increase  Quesnay's 
fears.  Do  you  know,  what  he  said  to  me  to-day  ? 
The  King  had  been  talking  to  him  in  my  room,  and 
the  Doctor  appeared  timid  and  agitated.  After  the 
King  was  gone,  I  said  to  him,  '  You  always  seem  so 
embarrassed  in  the  King's  presence,  and  yet  he  is  so 
good-natured.'  *  Madame,'  said  he,  '  I  left  my  native 
village  at  the  age  of  forty,  and  I  have  very  little 
experience  of  the  world,  nor  can  I  accustom  myself 
to  its  usages  without  great  difficulty.  When  I  am 
in  a  room  with  the  King,  I  say  to  myself,  '  This  is  a 
man  who  can  order  my  head  to  be  cut  off;  and  that 
idea  embarrasses  me.'  '  But  do  not  the  King's  jus- 
tice and  kindness  set  you  at  ease  ? '  *  That  is  very 
true  in  reasoning,'  said  he ;  '  but  the  sentiment  is 
more  prompt,  and  inspires  me  with  fear  before  I  have 
time  to  say  to  myself  all  that  is  calculated  to  allay 
it." 

I  got  her  to  repeat  this  conversation,  and  wrote  it 
down  immediately,  that  I  might  not  forget  it. 


240  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

An  anonymous  letter  was  addressed  to  the  King 
and  Madame  de  Pompadour;  and,  as  the  author  was 
very  anxious  that  it  should  not  miscarry,  he  sent 
copies  to  the  Lieutenant'  of  Police,  sealed  and  directed 
to  the  King,  to  Madame  de  Pompadour,  and  to  M.  de 
Marigny.  This  letter  produced  a  strong  impression 
on  Madame,  and  on  the  King,  and  still  more,  I  believe, 
on  the  Due  de  Choiseul,  who  had  received  a  similar 
one.  I  went  on  my  knees  to  M.  de  Marigny,  to  pre- 
vail on  him  to  allow  me  to  copy  it,  that  I  might  show 
it  to  the  Doctor.  It  is  as  follows : 

"  Sire — ^It  is  a  zealous  servant  who  writes  to  Your 
Majesty.  Truth  is  always  better,  particularly  to 
,  Kings;  habituated  to  flattery,  they  see  objects  only 
under  those  colours  most  likely  to  please  them.  I 
have  reflected,  and  read  much;  and  here  is  what  my 
meditations  have  suggested  to  me  to  lay  before  Your 
Majesty.  They  have  accustomed  you  to  be  invisible, 
and  inspired  you  with  a  timidity  which  prevents  you 
from  speaking;  thus  all  direct  communication  is  cut 
off  between  the  master  and  his  subjects.  Shut  up  in 
the  interior  of  your  palace,  you  are  becoming  every 
day  like  the  Emperors  of  the  East ;  but  see,  Sire,  their 
fate!  'I  have  troops,'  Your  Majesty  will  say;  such, 
also,  is  their  support:  but,  when  the  only  security  of 
a  King  rests  upon  his  troops;  when  he  is  only,  as  one 
may  say,  a  King  of  the  soldiers,  these  latter  feel  their 
own  strength,  and  abuse  it.  Your  finances  are  in  the 
greatest  disorder,  and  the  great  majority  of  states 
have  perished  through  this  cause.  A  patriotic  spirit 
sustained  the  ancient  states,  and  united  all  classes  for 
the  safety  of  their  country.  In  the  present  times, 
money  has  taken  the  place  of  this  spirit ;  it  has  be- 
come the  universal  lever,  and  you  are  in  want  of  it. 
A  spirit  of  finance  affects  every  department  of  the 
state;  it  reigns  triumphant  at  Court;  all  have  become 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     241 

venal ;  and  all  distinction  of  rank  is  broken  up.  Your 
Ministers  are  without  genius  and  capacity  since  the 
dismissal  of  MM.  d'Argenson  and  de  Machault.  You 
alone  cannot  judge  of  their  incapacity,  because  they 
lay  before  you  what  has  been  prepared  by  skilful 
clerks,  but  which  they  pass  as  their  own.  They  pro- 
vide only  for  the  necessity  of  the  day,  but  there  is  no 
spirit  of  government  in  their  acts.  The  military 
changes  that  have  taken  place  disgust  the  troops,  and 
cause  the  most  deserving  officers  to  resign;  a  sedi* 
tious  flame  has  sprung  up  in  the  very  bosom  of  the 
Parliaments;  you  seek  to  corrupt  them,  and  the  rem- 
edy is  worse  than  the  disease.  It  is  introducing  vice 
into  the  sanctuary  of  justice,  and  gangrene  into  the 
vital  parts  of  the  commonwealth.  Would  a  corrupted 
Parliament  have  braved  the  fury  of  the  League,  in 
order  to  preserve  the  crown  for  the  legitimate  sover- 
eign? Forgetting  the  maxims  of  Louis  XIV.,  who 
well  understood  the  danger  of  confiding  the  admin- 
istration to  noblemen,  you  have  chosen  M.  de  Choiseul, 
and  even  given  him  three  departments;  which  is  a 
much  heavier  burden  than  that  which  he  would  have 
to  support  as  Prime  Minister,  because  the  latter  has 
only  to  oversee  the  details  executed  by  the  Secretaries 
of  State.  The  public  fully  appreciate  this  dazzling 
Minister.  He  is  nothing  more  than  a  petit-matire, 
without  talents  or  information,  who  has  a  little  phos- 
phorus in  his  mind.  There  is  a  thing  well  worthy  of 
remark,  Sire;  that  is,  the  open  war  carried  on  against 
religion.  Henceforward  there  can  spring  up  no  new 
sects,  because  the  general  belief  has  been  shaken,  that 
no  one  feels  inclined  to  occupy  himself  with  difference 
of  sentiment  upon  some  of  the  articles.  The  Encyclo- 
pedists, under  pretence  of  enlightening  mankind,  are 
sapping  the  foundations  of  religion.  All  the  different 
kinds  of  liberty  are  connected;  the  Philosophers  and 


242  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV, 

the  Protestants  tend  towards  republicanism,  as  well 
as  the  Jansenists.  The  Philosophers  strike  at  the 
root,  the  others  lop  the  branches;  and  their  efforts, 
without  being  concerted,  will  one  day  lay  the  tree 
low.  Add  to  these  the  Economists,  whose  object  is 
political  liberty,  as  that  of  the  others  is  liberty  of 
worship,  and  the  Government  may  find  itself,  in 
twenty  or  thirty  years,  undermined  in  every  direction, 
and  will  then  fall  with  a  crash.  If  Your  Majesty, 
struck  by  this  picture,  but  too  true,  should  ask  me  for 
a  remedy,  I  should  say,  that  it  is  necessary  to  bring 
back  the  Government  to  its  principles,  and,  above 
all,  to  lose  no  time  in  restoring  order  to  the  state  of 
the  finances,  because  the  embarrassments  incident  to 
a  country  in  a  state  of  debt  necessitate  fresh  taxes, 
which,  after  grinding  the  people,  induce  them  towards 
revolt.  It  is  my  opinion  that  Your  Majesty  would 
do  well  to  appear  more  among  your  people;  to  shew 
your  approbation  of  useful  services,  and  your  dis- 
pleasure of  errors  and  prevarications,  and  neglect  of 
duty:  in  a  word,  to  let  it  be  seen  that  rewards  and 
punishments,  appointments  and  dismissals,  proceed 
from  yourself.  You  will  then  inspire  gratitude  by 
your  favours,  and  fear  by  your  reproaches;  you  will 
then  be  the  object  of  immediate  and  personal  attach- 
ment, instead  of  which,  everything  is  now  referred 
to  your  Ministers.  The  confidence  in  the  King,  which 
is  habitual  to  your  people,  is  shewn  by  the  exclama- 
tion, so  common  among  them,  '  Ah !  if  the  King 
knew  it.'  They  love  to  believe  that  the  King  would 
remedy  all  their  evils,  if  he  knew  of  them.  But,  on 
the  other  hand,  what  sort  of  ideas  must  they  form  of 
Kings,  whose  duty  it  is  to  be  informed  of  everything, 
and  to  superintend  everything,  that  concerns  the  pub- 
lic, but  who  are,  nevertheless,  ignorant  of  everything 
which  the  discharge  of  their  functions  requires  them 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR    243 

to  know?  Rex,  roi,  regere,  regir,  conduire — to  rule, 
to  conduct — these  words  sufficiently  denote  their  du- 
ties. What  would  be  said  of  a  father  who  got  rid 
of  the  charge  of  his  children  as  of  a  burthen? 

"  A  time  will  come,  Sire,  when  the  people  shall  be 
enlightened — and  that  time  is  probably  approaching. 
Resume  the  reins  of  government,  hold  them  with  a 
firm  hand,  and  act,  so  that  it  cannot  be  said  of  you, 
Fccminas  et  scorta  volvit  animo  et  haze  principatus 
pramia  putat: — Sire,  if  I  see  that  my  sincere  advice 
should  have  produced  any  change,  I  shall  continue 
it,  and  enter  into  more  details;  if  not,  I  shall  remain 
silent." 

Now  that  I  am  upon  the  subject  of  anonymous 
letters  to  the  King,  I  must  just  mention  that  it  is 
impossible  to  conceive  how  frequent  they  were.  Peo- 
ple were  extremely  assiduous  in  telling  either  un- 
pleasant truths,  or  alarming  lies,  with  a  view  to  in- 
jure others.  As  an  instance,  I  shall  transcribe  one 
concerning  Voltaire,  who  paid  great  court  to  Madame 
de  Pompadour  when  he  was  in  France.  This  letter 
was  written  long  after  the  former. 

"  Madame — M.  de  Voltaire  has  just  dedicated  his 
tragedy  of  Tancred  to  you;  this  ought  to  be  an  offer- 
ing of  respect  and  gratitude;  but  it  is,  in  fact,  an 
insult,  and  you  will  form  the  same  opinion  of  it  as  the 
public  has  done  if  you  read  it  with  attention.  You 
will  see  that  this  distinguished  writer  appears  to  be- 
tray a  consciousness  that  the  subject  of  his  encomiums 
is  not  worthy  of  them,  and  to  endeavour  to  excuse 
himself  for  them  to  the  public.  These  are  his  words: 
'  I  have  seen  your  graces  and  talents  unfold  them- 
selves from  your  infancy.  At  all  periods  of  your 
life  I  have  received  proofs  of  your  uniform  and  un- 
changing kindness.  If  any  critic  be  found  to  censure 
the  homage  I  pay  you,  he  must  have  a  heart  formed 


244  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

for  ingratitude.  I  am  under  great  obligations  to  you, 
Madame,  and  these  obligations  it  is  my  duty  to  pro- 
claim.' 

"  What  do  these  words  really  signify,  unless  that 
Voltaire  feels  it  may  be  thought  extraordinary  that 
he  should  dedicate  his  work  to  a  woman  who  possesses 
but  a  small  share  of  the  public  esteem,  and  that  the 
sentiment  of  gratitude  must  plead  his  excuse?  Why 
should  he  suppose  that  the  homage  he  pays  you  will 
be  censured,  whilst  we  daily  see  dedications  addressed 
to  silly  gossips  who  have  neither  rank  nor  celebrity, 
or  to  women  of  exceptional  conduct,  without  any  cen- 
sure being  attracted  by  it  ?  " 

M.  de  Marigny,  and  Colin,  Madame  de  Pompadour's 
steward,  were  of  the  same  opinion  as  Quesnay,  that 
the  author  of  this  letter  was  extremely  malicious; 
that  he  insulted  Madame,  and  tried  to  injure  Vol- 
taire; but  that  he  was,  in  fact,  right.  Voltaire,  from 
that  moment,  was  entirely  out  of  favour  with  Madame, 
and  with  the  King,  and  he  certainly  never  discovered 
the  cause. 

The  King,  who  admired  everything  of  the  age  of 
Louis  XIV.,  and  recollected  that  the  Boileaus  and 
Racines  had  been  protected  by  that  monarch,  who 
was  indebted  to  them,  in  part,  for  the  lustre  of  his 
reign,  was  flattered  at  having  such  a  man  as  Voltaire 
among  his  subjects.  But  still  he  feared  him,  and 
had  but  little  esteem  for  him.  He  could  not  help 
saying,  "  Moreover,  I  have  treated  him  as  well  as 
Louis  XIV.  treated  Racine  and  Boileau.  I  have 
given  him,  as  Louis  XIV.  gave  to  Racine,  some  pen- 
sions, and  a  place  of  gentleman  in  ordinary.  It  is 
not  my  fault  if  he  has  committed  absurdities,  and 
has  had  the  pretension  to  become  a  chamberlain,  to 
wear  an  order,  and  sup  with  a  King.  It  is  not  the 
fashion  in  France;  and,  as  there  are  here  a  few  more 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR    245 

men  of  wit  and  noblemen  than  in  Prussia,  it  would 
require  that  I  should  have  a  very  large  table  to  as- 
semble them  all  at  it."  And  then  he  reckoned  upon 
his  fingers,  Maupertuis,  Fontenelle,  La  Mothe,  Vol- 
taire, Piron,  Destouches,  Montesquieu,  the  Cardinal 
Polignac.  "  Your  Majesty  forgets,"  said  some  one, 
"  D'Alembert  and  Clairaut."  "  And  Crebillon,"  said 
he.  "  And  la  Chaussee,  and  the  younger  Crebillon," 
said  some  one.  "  He  ought  to  be  more  agreeable 
than  his  father."  "  And  there  are  also  the  Abbes 
Prevot  and  d'Olivet."  "  Pretty  well,"  said  the  King; 
"and  for  the  last  twenty  years  all  that  (tout  cela) 
would  have  dined  and  supped  at  my  table." 

Madame  de  Pompadour  repeated  to  me  this  conver- 
sation, which  I  wrote  down  the  same  evening.  M.  de 
Marigny,  also,  talked  to  me  about  it.  "  Voltaire," 
said  he,  "  has  always  had  a  fancy  for  being  Ambas- 
sador, and  he  did  all  he  could  to  make  the  people 
believe  that  he  was  charged  with  some  political  mis- 
sion, the  first  time  he  visited  Prussia." 

The  people  heard  of  the  attempt  on  the  King's  life 
with  transports  of  fury,  and  with  the  greatest  distress. 
Their  cries  were  heard  under  the  windows  of  Madame 
de  Pompadour's  apartment.  Mobs  were  collected,  and 
Madame  feared  the  fate  of  Madame  de  Chateau- 
roux.  Her  friends  came  in,  every  minute,  to  give 
her  intelligence.  Her  room  was,  at  all  times,  like  a 
church;  everybody  seemed  to  claim  a  right  to  go  in 
and  out  when  he  chose.  Some  came,  under  pretence 
of  sympathising,  to  observe  her  countenance  and  man- 
ner. She  did  nothing  but  weep  and  faint  away. 
Doctor  Quesnay  never  left  her,  nor  did  I.  M.  de 
St.  Florentin  came  to  see  her  several  times,  so  did  the 
Comptroller-General,  and  M.  Rouille;  but  M.  de 
Machault  did  not  come.  The  Duchesse  de  Brancas 
came  very  frequently.  The  Abbe  de  Bernis  never 


246  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

left  us,  except  to  go  to  enquire  for  the  King.  The 
tears  came  in  his  eyes  whenever  he  looked  at  Madame. 
Doctor  Quesnay  saw  the  King  five  or  six  times  a 
day.  "  There  is  nothing  to  fear,"  said  he  to  Madame. 
"  If  it  were  anybody  else,  he  might  go  to  a  ball," 
My  son  went  the  next  day,  as  he  had  done  the  day 
the  event  occurred,  to  see  what  was  going  on  at  the 
Castle.  He  told  us,  on  his  return,  that  the  Keeper 
of  the  Seals  was  with  the  King.  I  sent  him  back, 
to  see  what  course  he  took  on  leaving  the  King.  He 
came  running  back  in  half  an  hour,  to  tell  me  that 
the  Keeper  of  the  Seals  had  gone  to  his  own  house, 
followed  by  a  crowd  of  people.  When  I  told  this  to 
Madame,  she  burst  into  tears,  and  said,  "Is  that  a 
friend?"  The  Abbe  de  Bernis  said,  "You  must  not 
judge  him  hastily,  in  such  a  moment  as  this."  I  re- 
turned into  the  drawing-room  about  an  hour  after, 
when  the  Keeper  of  the  Seals  entered.  He  passed 
me,  with  his  usual  cold  and  severe  look.  "  How  is 
Madame  de  Pompadour  ?  "  said  he.  "  Alas !  "  re- 
plied I,  "  as  you  may  imagine ! "  He  passed  on  to 
her  closet.  Everybody  retired,  and  he  remained  for 
half  an  hour.  The  Abbe  returned  and  Madame  rang. 
I  went  into  her  room,  the  Abbe  following  me.  She 
was  in  tears.  "  I  must  go,  my  dear  Abbe,"  said  she. 
I  made  her  take  some  orange-flower  water,  in  a  sil- 
ver goblet,  for  her  teeth  chattered.  She  then  told 
me  to  call  her  equerry.  He  came. in,  and  she  calmly 
gave  him  her  orders,  to  have  everything  prepared  at 
her  hotel,  in  Paris;  to  tell  all  her  people  to  get 
ready  to  go;  and  to  desire  her  coachman  not  to  be 
out  of  the  way.  She  then  shut  herself  up,  to  confer 
with  the  Abbe  de  Bernis,  who  left  her,  to  go  to  the 
Council.  Her  door  was  then  shut,  except  to  the 
ladies  with  whom  she  was  particularly  intimate,  M. 
de  Soubise,  M.  de  Gontaut,  the  Ministers,  and  some 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     247 

others.  Several  ladies,  in  the  greatest  distress,  came 
to  talk  to  me  in  my  room:  they  compared  the  con- 
duct of  M.  de  Machault  with  that  of  M.  de  Richelieu, 
at  Metz.  Madame  had  related  to  them  the  circum- 
stances extremely  to  the  honour  of  the  Duke,  and,  by 
tontrast,  the  severest  satire  on  the  Keeper  of  the 
Seals.  "  He  thinks,  or  pretends  to  think,"  said  she, 
"  that  the  priests  will  be  clamorous  for  my  dismissal ; 
but  Quesnay  and  all  the  physicians  declare  that  there 
is  not  the  slightest  danger."  Madame  having  sent  for 
me,  I  saw  the  Marechale  de  Mirepoix  coming  in. 
While  she  was  at  the  door,  she  cried  out,  "  What  are 
all  those  trunks,  Madame?  Your  people  tell  me  you 
are  going."  "  Alas !  my  dear  friend,  such  is  our 
Master's  desire,  as  M.  de  Machault  tells  me."  "  And 
what  does  he  advise  ?  "  said  the  Marechale.  "  That 
I  should  go  without  delay."  During  this  conversa- 
tion, I  was  undressing  Madame,  who  wished  to  be  at 
her  ease  on  her  chaise-longue.  "  Your  Keeper  of 
the  Seals  wants  to  get  the  power  into  his  own  hands, 
and  betrays  you;  he  who  quits  the  field  loses  it."  I 
went  out.  M.  de  Soubise  entered,  then  the  Abbe 
and  M.  de  Marigny.  The  latter,  who  was  very  kind 
to  me,  came  into  my  room  an  hour  afterwards.  I 
was  alone.  "She  will  remain,"  said  he;  "but,  hush! 
— she  will  make  an  appearance  of  going,  in  order  not 
to  set  her  enemies  at  work.  It  is  the  little  Marechale 
who  prevailed  upon  her  to  stay:  her  keeper  (so  she 
called  M.  de  Machault)  will  pay  for  it."  Quesnay 
came  in,  and,  having  heard  what  was  said,  with  his 
monkey  airs,  began  to  relate  a  fable  of  a  fox,  who, 
being  at  dinner  with  other  beasts,  persuaded  one  of 
them  that  his  enemies  were  seeking  him,  in  order  that 
he  might  get  possession  of  his  share  in  his  absence. 
I  did  not  see  Madame  again  till  very  late,  at  her  go- 
ing to  bed.  She  was  more  calm.  Things  improved, 


248  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

from  day  to  day,  and  de  Machault,  the  faithless  friend, 
was  dismissed.  The  King  returned  to  Madame  de 
Pompadour,  as  usual.  I  learnt,  by  M.  de  Marigny, 
that  the  Abbe  had  been,  one  day,  with  M.  d'Argen- 
son,  to  endeavour  to  persuade  him  to  live  on  friendly 
terms  with  Madame,  and  that  he  had  been  very  coldly 
received.  "  He  is  the  more  arrogant,"  said  he,  "  on 
account  of  Machault's  dismissal,  which  leaves  the  field 
clear  for  him,  who  has  more  experience,  and  more 
talent;  and  I  fear  that  he  will,  therefore,  be  disposed 
to  declare  war  till  death/'  The  next  day,  Madame 
having  ordered  her  chaise,  I  was  curious  to  know 
where  she  was  going,  for  she  went  out  but  little,  ex- 
cept to  church,  and  to  the  houses  of  the  Ministers.  I 
was  told  that  she  was  gone  to  visit  M.  d'Argenson. 
She  returned  in  an  hour,  at  farthest,  and  seemed  very 
much  out  of  spirits.  She  leaned  on  the  chimney- 
piece,  with  her  eyes  fixed  on  the  border  of  it.  M.  de 
Bernis  entered.  I  waited  for  her  to  take  off  her 
cloak  and  gloves.  She  had  her  hands  in  her  muff. 
The  Abbe  stood  looking  at  her  for  some  minutes;  at 
last  he  said,  "  You  look  like  a  sheep  in  a  reflecting 
mood."  She  awoke  from  her  reverie,  and,  throwing 
her  muff  on  the  easy-chair,  replied,  "  It  is  a  wolf 
who  makes  the  sheep  reflect."  I  went  out:  the  King 
entered  shortly  after,  and  I  heard  Madame  de  Pom- 
padour sobbing.  The  Abbe  came  into  my  room,  and 
told  me  to  bring  some  Hoffman's  drops:  the  King 
himself  mixed  the  draught  with  sugar,  and  presented 
it  to  her  in  the  kindest  manner  possible.  She  smiled, 
and  kissed  the  King's  hands.  I  left  the  room.  Two 
days  after,  very  early  in  the  morning,  I  heard  of  M. 
d'Argenson's  exile.  It  was  her  doing,  and  was,  in- 
deed, the  strongest  proof  of  her  influence  that  could 
be  given.  The  King  was  much  attached  to  M.  d'Ar- 
genson, and  the  war,  then  carrying  on,  both  by  sea  and 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     249 

land,  rendered  the  dismissal  of  two  such  Ministers 
extremely  imprudent.  This  was  the  universal  opinion 
at  the  time. 

Many  people  talk  of  the  letter  of  the  Comte  d'Ar- 
genson  to  Madame  d'Esparbes.  I  give  it,  according 
to  the  most  correct  version:  "The  doubtful  is,  at 
length,  decided.  The  Keeper  of  the  Seals  is  dis- 
missed. You  will  be  recalled,  my  dear  Countess,  and 
we  shall  be  masters  of  the  field." 

It  is  much  less  generally  known  that  Arboulin, 
whom  Madame  calls  Bou-bou,  was  supposed  to  be  the 
person  who,  on  the  very  day  of  the  dismissal  of  the 
Keeper  of  the  Seals,  bribed  the  Count's  confidential 
courier,  who  gave  him  this  letter.  Is  this  report 
founded  on  truth?  I  cannot  swear  that  it  is;  but  it 
is  asserted  that  the  letter  is  written  in  the  Count's 
style.  Besides,  who  could  so  immediately  have  in- 
vented it?  It,  however,  appeared  certain,  from  the 
extreme  displeasure  of  the  King,  that  he  had  some 
other  subject  of  complaint  against  M.  d'Argenson, 
besides  his  refusing  to  be  reconciled  with  Madame. 
Nobody  dares  to  show  the  slightest  attachment  to  the 
disgraced  Minister.  I  asked  the  ladies  who  were 
most  intimate  with  Madame  de  Pompadour,  as  well 
as  my  own  friends,  what  they  knew  of  the  matter; 
but  they  knew  nothing.  I  can  understand  why  Ma- 
dame did  not  let  them  into  her  confidence  at  that 
moment.  She  will  be  less  reserved  in  time.  I  care 
very  little  about  it,  since  I  see  that  she  is  well,  and  ap- 
pears happy. 

The  King  said  a  thing,  which  did  him  honour,  to  a 
person  whose  name  Madame  withheld  from  me.  A 
nobleman,  who  had  been  a  most  assiduous  courtier  of 
the  Count,  said,  rubbing  his  hands  with  an  air  of 
great  joy,  "  I  have  just  seen  the  Comte  d'Argenson's 
baggage  set  out."  When  the  King  heard  him,  he 


250  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

went  up  to  Madame,  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and 
said,  "  And  immediately  the  cock  crew." 

I  believe  this  is  taken  from  Scripture,  where  Peter 
denies  Our  Lord.  I  confess,  this  circumstance  gave 
me  great  pleasure.  It  showed  that  the  King  is  not 
the  dupe  of  those  around  him,  and  that  he  hates 
treachery  and  ingratitude. 

Madame  sent  for  me  yesterday  evening,  at  seven 
o'clock,  to  read  something  to  her;  the  ladies  who 
were  intimate  with  her  were  at  Paris,  and  M.  de  Gon- 
taut  ill.  "The  King,"  said  she,  "will  stay  late  at 
the  Council  this  evening;  they  are  occupied  with  the 
affairs  of  the  Parliament  again."  She  bade  me  leave 
off  reading,  and  I  was  going  to  quit  the  room,  but 
she  called  out,  "Stop."  She  rose;  a  letter  was 
brought  in  for  her,  and  she  took  it  with  an  air  of  im- 
patience and  ill-humour.  After  a  considerable  time 
she  began  to  talk  openly,  which  only  happened  when 
she  was  extremely  vexed;  and,  as  none  of  her  con- 
fidential friends  were  at  hand,  she  said  to  me,  "  This 
is  from  my  brother.  It  is  what  he  would  not  have 
dared  to  say  to  me,  so  he  writes.  I  had  arranged 
a  marriage  for  him  with  the  daughter  of  a  man  of 
title;  he  appeared  to  be  well  inclined  to  it,  and  I, 
therefore,  pledged  my  word.  He  now  tells  me  that 
he  has  made  inquiries;  that  the  parents  are  people 
of  insupportable  hauteur;  that  the  daughter  is  very 
badly  educated;  and  that  he  knows,  from  authority 
not  to  be  doubted,  that  when  she  heard  this  marriage 
discussed,  she  spoke  of  the  connection  with  the  most 
supreme  contempt;  that  he  is  certain  of  this  fact;  and 
that  I  was  still  more  contemptuously  spoken  of  than 
himself.  In  a  word,  he  begs  me  to  break  off  the 
treaty.  But  he  has  let  me  go  too  far;  and  now  he 
will  make  these  people  my  irreconcilable  enemies. 
This  has  been  put  in  his  head  by  some  of  his  flat- 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     251 

terers;  they  do  not  wish  him  to  change  his  way  of 
living;  and  very  few  of  them  would  be  received  by 
his  wife."  I  tried  to  soften  Madame,  and,  though 
I  did  not  venture  to  tell  her  so,  I  thought  her  brother 
right.  She  persisted  in  saying  these  were  lies,  and, 
on  the  following  Sunday,  treated  her  brother  very 
coldly.  He  said  nothing  to  me  at  that  time;  if  he 
had,  he  would  have  embarrassed  me  greatly.  Madame 
atoned  for  everything  by  procuring  favours,  which 
were  the  means  of  facilitating  the  young  lady's  mar- 
riage with  a  gentleman  of  the  Court.  Her  conduct, 
two  months  after  marriage,  compelled  Madame  to 
confess  that  her  brother  had  been  perfectly  right. 

I  saw  my  friend,  Madame  du  Chiron.  "  Why," 
said  she,  "  is  the  Marquise  so  violent  an  enemy  to  the 
Jesuits?  I  assure  you  she  is  wrong.  All-powerful 
as  she  is,  she  may  find  herself  the  worse  for  their 
enmity."  I  replied  that  I  knew  nothing  about  the 
matter.  "  It  is,  however,  unquestionably  a  fact ;  and 
she  does  not  feel  that  a  word  more  or  less  might  de- 
cide her  fate."  "How  do  you  mean?"  said  I. 
"  Well,  I  will  explain  myself  fully,"  said  she.  "  You 
know  what  took  place  at  the  time  the  King  was 
stabbed :  an  attempt  was  made  to  get  her  out  of  the 
Castle  instantly.  The  Jesuits  have  no  other  object 
than  the  salvation  of  their  penitents;  but  they  are 
men,  and  hatred  may,  without  their  being  aware  of  it, 
influence  their  minds,  and  inspire  them  with  a  greater 
degree  of  severity  than  circumstances  absolutely  de- 
mand. Favour  and  partiality  may,  on  the  other  hand, 
induce  the  confessor  to  make  great  concessions;  and 
the  shortest  interval  may  suffice  to  save  a  favourite, 
especially  if  any  decent  pretext  can  be  found  for  pro- 
longing her  stay  at  Court."  I  agreed  with  her  in 
all  she  said,  but  I  told  her  that  I  dared  not  touch 
that  string.  On  reflecting  on  this  conversation  after- 


252  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

wards,  I  was  forcibly  struck  with  this  fresh  proof  of 
the  intrigues  of  the  Jesuits,  which,  indeed,  I  knew  well 
already.  I  thought  that,  in  spite  of  what  I  had  re- 
plied to  Madame  du  Chiron,  I  ought  to  communicate 
this  to  Madame  de  Pompadour,  for  the  ease  of  my 
conscience ;  but  that  I  would  abstain  from  making  any 
reflection  upon  it.  "  Your  friend,  Madame  du 
Chiron,"  said  she,  "  is,  I  perceive,  affiliated  to  the 
Jesuits,  and  what  she  says  does  not  originate  with 
herself.  She  is  commissioned  by  some  reverend 
father,  and  I  will  know  by  whom."  Spies  were,  ac- 
cordingly, set  to  watch  her  movements,  and  they  dis- 
covered that  one  Father  de  Saci,  and,  still  more  par- 
ticularly, one  Father  Frey,  guided  this  lady's  conduct, 
"  What  a  pity,"  said  Madame  to  me,  "  that  the  Abbe 
Chauvelin  cannot  know  this."  He  was  the  most  for- 
midable enemy  of  the  reverend  fathers.  Madame 
du  Chiron  always  looked  upon  me  as  a  Jansenist,  be- 
cause I  would  not  espouse  the  interests  of  the  good 
fathers  with  as  much  warmth  as  she  did. 

Madame  is  completely  absorbed  in  the  Abbe  de 
Bernis,  whom  she  thinks  capable  of  anything;  she 
talks  of  him  incessantly.  Apropos  of  this  Abbe,  I 
must  relate  an  anecdote,  which  almost  makes  one  be- 
lieve in  conjurors.  A  year,  or  fifteen  months,  before 
her  disgrace,  Madame  de  Pompadour,  being  at  Fon- 
tainebleau,  sat  down  to  write  at  a  desk,  over  which 
hung  a  portrait  of  the  King.  While  she  was  shut- 
ting the  desk,  after  she  had  finished  writing,  the 
picture  fell,  and  struck  her  violently  on  the  head. 
The  persons  who  saw  the  accident  were  alarmed,  and 
sent  for  Dr.  Quesnay.  He  asked  the  circumstances 
of  the  case,  and  ordered  bleeding  and  anodynes.  Just 
as  she  had  been  bled,  Madame  de  Brancas  entered, 
and  saw  us  all  in  confusion  and  agitation,  and 
Madame  lying  on  her  chaise-longue.  She  asked  what 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     253 

was  the  matter,  and  was  told.  After  having  ex- 
pressed her  regret,  and  having  consoled  her,  she  said, 
"  I  ask  it  as  a  favour  of  Madame,  and  of  the  King 
(who  had  just  come  in),  that  they  will  instantly  send 
a  courier  to  the  Abbe  de  Bernis,  and  that  the  Marquise 
will  have  the  goodness  to  write  a  letter,  merely  re- 
questing him  to  inform  her  what  his  fortune-tellers 
told  him,  and  to  withhold  nothing  from  the  fear  of 
making  her  uneasy."  The  thing  was  done  as  she  de- 
sired, and  she  then  told  us  that  La  Bontemps  had 
predicted,  from  the  dregs  in  the  coffee-cup,  in  which 
she  read  everything,  that  the  head  of  her  best  friend 
was  in  danger,  but  that  no  fatal  consequences  would 
ensue. 

The  next  day,  the  Abbe  wrote  word  that  Madame 
Bontemps  also  said  to  him,  "  You  came  into  the  world 
almost  black,"  and  that  this  was  the  fact.  This 
colour,  which  lasted  for  some  time,  was  attributed 
to  a  picture  which  hung  at  the  foot  of  his  mother's 
bed,  and  which  she  often  looked  at.  It  represented 
a.  Moor  bringing  to  Cleopatra  a  basket  of  flowers, 
containing  the  asp  by  whose  bite  she  destroyed  her- 
self. He  said  that  she  also  told  him,  "  You  have  a 
great  deal  of  money  about  you,  but  it  does  not  belong 
to  you;  "  and  that  he  had  actually  in  his  pocket  two 
hundred  louis  for  the  Due  de  La  Valliere.  Lastly, 
he  informed  us  that  she  said,  looking  in  the  cup,  "  I 
see  one  of  your  friends — the  best — a  distinguished 
lady,  threatened  with  an  accident ; "  that  he  confessed 
that,  in  spite  of  all  his  philosophy,  he  turned  pale;  that 
she  remarked  this,  looked  again  into  the  cup,  and  con- 
tinued, "  Her  head  will  be  slightly  in  danger,  but 
of  this  no  appearance  will  remain  half  an  hour  after- 
wards." It  was  impossible  to  doubt  the  facts.  They 
appeared  so  surprising  to  the  King,  that  he  desired 
some  inquiry  to  be  made  concerning  the  fortune- 


254  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

teller.       Madame,  however,   protected  her  from  the 
pursuit  of  the  Police. 

A  man,  who  was  quite  as  astonishing  as  this  for- 
tune-teller, often  visited  Madame  de  Pompadour. 
This  was  the  Comte  de  St.  Germain,  who  wished  to 
have  it  believed  that  he  had  lived  several  centuries. 
One  day,  at  her  toilet,  Madame  said  to  him,  in  my 
presence,  "  What  was  the  personal  appearance  of 
Francis  I.?  He  was  a  King  I  should  have  liked." 
"  He  was,  indeed,  very  captivating,"  said  St.  Ger- 
main; and  he  proceeded  to  describe  his  face  and  per- 
son as  one  does  that  of  a  man  one  has  accurately 
observed.  "  It  is  a  pity  he  was  too  ardent.  I  could 
have  given  him  some  good  advice,  which  would  have 
saved  him  from  all  his  misfortunes;  but  he  would  not 
have  followed  it;  for  it  seems  as  if  a  fatality  attended 
Princes,  forcing  them  to  shut  their  ears,  those  of  the 
mind,  at  least,  to  the  best  advice,  and  especially  in 
the  most  critical  moments."  "  And  the  Constable," 
said  Madame,  "  what  do  you  say  of  him?  "  "  I  can- 
not say  much  good  or  much  harm  of  him,"  replied 
he.  "  Was  the  Court  of  Francis  I.  very  brilliant  ?  " 
"  Very  brilliant ;  but  those  of  his  grandsons  infinitely 
surpassed  it.  In  the  time  of  Mary  Stuart  and  Mar- 
garet of  Valois  it  was  a  land  of  enchantment — a 
temple,  sacred  to  pleasures  of  every  kind;  those  of 
the  mind  were  not  neglected.  The  two  Queens  were 
learned,  wrote  verses,  and  spoke  with  captivating 
grace  and  eloquence."  Madame  said,  laughing, 
"  You  seem  to  have  seen  all  this."  "  I  have  an  ex- 
cellent memory,"  said  he,  "  and  have  read  the  history 
of  France  with  great  care.  I  sometimes  amuse  my- 
self, not  by  making,  but  by  letting  it  be  believed  that  I 
lived  in  old  times."  "  You  do  not  tell  me  your  age, 
however,  and  you  give  yourself  out  for  very  old.  The 
Comtesse  de  Gergy,  who  was  Ambassadress  to  Venice, 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR    255 

I  think,  fifty  years  ago,  says  she  knew  you  there 
exactly  what  you  are  now."  "  It  is  true,  Madame, 
that  I  have  known  Madame  de  Gergy  a  long  time." 
"  But,  according  to  what  she  says,  you  would  be 
more  than  a  hundred."  "  That  is  not  impossible," 
said  he,  laughing;  "  but  it  is,  I  allow,  still  more  pos- 
sible that  Madame  de  Gergy,  for  whom  I  have  the 
greatest  respect,  may  be  in  her  dotage."  "  You  have 
given  her  an  elixir,  the  effect  of  which  is  surprising. 
She  declares  that  for  a  long  time  she  has  felt  as  if 
she  was  only  four-and-twenty  years  of  age ;  why  don't 
you  give  some  to  the  King?"  "Ah!  Madame,"  said 
he,  with  a  sort  of  terror,  "  I  must  be  mad  to  think 
of  giving  the  King  an  unknown  drug."  I  went  into 
my  room  to  write  down  this  conversation. 

Some  days  afterwards,  the  King,  Madame  de  Pom- 
padour, some  Lords  of  the  Court,  and  the  Comte 
de  St.  Germain,  were  talking  about  his  secret  for 
causing  the  spots  in  diamonds  to  disappear.  The 
King  ordered 'a  diamond  of  middling  size,  which  had 
a  spot,  to  be  brought.  It  was  weighed ;  and  the  King 
said  to  the  Count,  "  It  is  valued  at  two  hundred  and 
forty  louis;  but  it  would  be  worth  four  hundred  if  it 
had  no  spot.  Will  you  try  to  put  a  hundred  and 
sixty  louis  into  my  pocket  ?  "  He  examined  it  care- 
fully, and  said,  "  It  may  be  done ;  and  I  will  bring  it 
you  again  in  a  month."  At  the  time  appointed,  the 
Count  brought  back  the  diamond  without  a  spot,  and 
gave  it  to  the  King.  It  was  wrapped  in  a  cloth  of 
amianthus,  which  he  took  off.  The  King  had  it 
weighed,  and  found  it  but  very  little  diminished. 
iThe  King  sent  it  to  his  jeweller  by  M.  de  Gontaut, 
without  telling  him  anything  of  what  had  passed. 
The  jeweller  gave  three  hundred  and  eighty  louis  for 
it.  The  King,  however,  sent  for  it  back  again,  and 
kept  it  as  a  curiosity.  He  could  not  overcome  his 


256  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

surprise,  and  said  that  M.  de  St.  Germain  must  be 
worth  millions,  especially  if  he  had  also  the  secret  of 
making  large  diamonds  out  of  a  number  of  small 
ones.  He  neither  said  that  he  had,  nor  that  he  had 
not;  but  he  positively  asserted  that  he  could  make 
pearls  grow,  and  give  them  the  finest  water.  The 
King  paid  him  great  attention,  and  so  did  Madame 
de  Pompadour.  It  was  from  her  I  learnt  what  I  have 
just  related.  M.  Quesnay  said,  talking  of  the  pearls, 
"  They  are  produced  by  a  disease  in  the  oyster.  It  is 
possible  to  know  the  cause  of  it;  but,  be  that  as  it 
may,  he  is  not  the  less  a  quack,  since  he  pretends  to 
have  the  elixir  vitce,  and  to  have  lived  several  centu- 
ries. Our  master  is,  however,  infatuated  by  him, 
and  sometimes  talks  of  him  as  if  his  descent  were  il- 
lustrious." 

I  have  seen  him  frequently :  he  appeared  to  be  about 
fifty;  he  was  neither  fat  nor  thin;  he  had  an  acute, 
intelligent  look,  dressed  very  simply,  but  in  good 
taste ;  he  wore  very  fine  diamonds  in  his  rings,  watch, 
and  snuff-box.  He  came,  one  day,  to  visit  Madame 
de  Pompadour,  at  a  time  when  the  Court  was  in  full 
splendour,  with  knee  and  shoe-buckles  of  diamonds  so 
fine  and  brilliant  that  Madame  said  she  did  not  believe 
the  King  had  any  equal  to  them.  He  went  into  the 
antechamber  to  take  them  off,  and  brought  them  to 
be  examined;  they  were  compared  with  others  in  the 
room,  and  the  Due  de  Gontaut,  who  was  present, 
said  they  were  both  at  least  eight  thousand  louis. 
He  wore,  at  the  same  time,  a  snuff-box  of  inestimable 
value,  and  ruby  sleeve-buttons,  which  were  perfectly 
dazzling.  Nobody  could  find  out  by  what  means  this 
man  became  so  rich  and  so  remarkable;  but  the  King 
would  not  suffer  him  to  be  spoken  of  with  ridicule  or 
contempt.  He  was  said  to  be  a  bastard  son  of  the 
King  of  Portugal. 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     257 

I  learnt,  from  M.  de  Marigny,  that  the  relations  of 
the  good  little  Marechale  (de  Mirepoix)  had  been 
extremely  severe  upon  her,  for  what  they  called  the 
baseness  of  her  conduct,  with  regard  to  Madame  de 
Pompadour.  They  said  she  held  the  stones  of  the 
cherries  which  Madame  ate  in  her  carriage,  in  her 
beautiful  little  hands,  and  that  she  sate  in  the  front 
of  the  carriage,  while  Madame  occupied  the  whole 
seat  in  the  inside.  The  truth  was,  that,  in  going  to 
Crecy,  on  an  insupportably  hot  day,  they  both  wished 
to  sit  alone,  that  they  might  be  cooler;  and  as  to  the 
matter  of  the  cherries,  the  villagers  having  brought 
them  some,  they  ate  them  to  refresh  themselves, 
while  the  horses  were  changed;  and  the  Marechale 
emptied  her  pocket-handkerchief,  into  which  they 
had  both  thrown  the  cherry-stones,  out  of  the  car- 
riage window.  The  people  who  were  changing  the 
horses  had  given  their  own  version  of  the  affair. 

I  had,  as  you  know,  a  very  pretty  room  at  Madame's 
hotel,  whither  I  generally  went  privately,  I  had,  one 
day,  had  visits  from  two  or  three  Paris  representa- 
tives, who  told  me  news;  and  Madame,  having  sent 
for  me,  I  went  to  her,  and  found  her  with  M.  de  Gon- 
taut.  I  could  not  help  instantly  saying  to  her,  "  You 
must  be  much  pleased,  Madame,  at  the  noble  action 

of  the  Marquis  de  ."  Madame  replied,  drily, 

"  Hold  your  tongue,  and  listen  to  what  I  have  to  say 
to  you."  I  returned  to  my  little  room,  where  I 
found  the  Comtesse  d'Amblimont,  to  whom  I  men- 
tioned Madame's  reception  of  me.  "  I  know  what 
is  the  matter,"  said  she;  "it  has  no  relation  to  you. 

I  will  explain  it  to  you.  The  Marquis  de  has 

told  all  Paris,  that,  some  days  ago,  going  home  at 
night,  alone,  and  on  foot,  he  heard  cries  in  a  street 
called  Ferou,  which  is  dark,  and,  in  great  part,  arched 
over;  that  he  drew  his  sword,  and  went  down  the 


street,  in  which  he  saw,  by  the  light  of  a  lamp,  a  very 
handsome  woman,  to  whom  some  ruffians  were  offer- 
ing violence ;  that  he  approached,  and  that  the  woman 
cried  out,  '  Save  me !  save  me ! '  that  he  rushed  upon 
the  wretches,  two  of  whom  fought  him,  sword  in 
hand,  whilst  a  third  held  the  woman,  ajid  tried  to  stop 
her  mouth ;  that  he  wounded  one  in  the  arm ;  and  that 
the  ruffians,  hearing  people  pass  at  the  end  of  the 
street,  and  fearing  they  might  come  to  his  assistance, 
fled;  that  he  went  up  to  the  lady,  who  told  him  that 
they  were  not  robbers,  but  villains,  one  of  whom  was 
desperately  in  love  with  her;  and  that  the  lady  knew 
not  how  to  express  her  gratitude ;  that  she  had  begged 
him  not  to  follow  her,  after  he  had  conducted  her  to 
a  fiacre;  that  she  would  not  tell  him  her  name,  but 
that  she  insisted  on  his  accepting  a  little  ring,  as  a 
token  of  remembrance;  and  that  she  promised  to  see 
him  again,  and  to  tell  him  her  whole  history,  if  he 
gave  her  his  address;  that  he  complied  with  this  re- 
quest of  the  lady,  whom  he  represented  as  a  charming 
person,  and  who,  in  the  overflowing  of  her  gratitude, 
embraced  him  several  times.  This  is  all  very  fine,  so 
far,"  said  Madame  d'Amblimont,  "  but  hear  the  rest. 

The  Marquis  de  exhibited  himself  everywhere 

the  next  day,  with  a  black  ribbon  bound  round  his 
arm,  near  the  wrist,  in  which  part  he  said'  he  had  re- 
ceived the  wound.  He  related  his  story  to  everybody, 
and  everybody  commented  upon  it  after  his  own 
fashion.  He  went  to  dine  with  the  Dauphin,  who 
spoke  to  him  of  his  bravery,  and  of  his  fair  unknown, 
and  told  him  that  he  had  already  complimented  the 

Due  de  C on  the  affair.     I  forgot  to  tell  you," 

continued  Madame  d'Amblimont,  "that,  on  the  very 
night  of  the  adventure,  he  called  on  Madame 
d'Estillac,  an  old  gambler,  whose  house  is  open  till 
four  in  the  morning;  that  everybody  there  was  sur- 


From  tin-  original  painting  by  Nattier  in  the  Royal  Gallery  in 
Scotland. 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     259 

prised  at  the  disordered  state  in  which  he  appeared; 
that  his  bagwig  had  fallen  off,  one  skirt  of  his  coat 
was  cut,  and  his  right  hand  bleeding.  That  they  in- 
stantly bound  it  up,  and  gave  him  some  Rota  wine. 

Four  days  ago,  the  Due  de  C supped  with  the 

King,  and  sat  near  M.  de  St.  Florentin.  He  talked 
to  him  of  his  relation's  adventure,  and  asked  him  if 
he  had  made  any  inquiries  concerning  the  lady.  M. 
de  St.  Florentin  coldly  answered,  '  No ; '  and  M.  de 
C remarked,  on  asking  him  some  further  ques- 
tions, that  he  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  his  plate,  looking 
embarrassed,  and  answered  in  monosyllables.  He 
asked  him  the  reason  of  this,  upon  which  M.  de  Flo- 
rentin told  him  that  it  was  extremely  distressing  to 
him  to  see  him  under  such  a  mistake.  '  How  can 
you  know  that,  supposing  it  to  be  the  fact  ? '  said  M. 

de  .     '  Nothing  is  more  easy  to  prove,'  replied 

M.  de  St.  Florentin.  '  You  may  imagine  that,  as 
soon  as  I  was  informed  of  the  Marquis  de 's  ad- 
venture, I  set  on  foot  inquiries,  the  result  of  which 
was,  that,  on  the  night  when  this  affair  was  said  to 
have  taken  place,  a  party  of  the  watch  was  set  in 
ambuscade  in  this  very  street,  for  the  purpose  of 
catching  a  thief  who  was  coming  out  of  the  gaming 
house ;  that  this  party  was  there  four  hours,  and  heard 

not  the  slightest  noise.'     M.   de  C was  greatly 

incensed  at  this  recital,  which  M.  de  St.  Florentin 
ought,  indeed,  to  have  communicated  to  the  King. 
He  has  ordered,  or  will  order,  his  relation  to  retire  to 
his  province. 

"  After  this,  you  will  judge,  my  dear,  whether  you 
were  very  likely  to  be  graciously  received  when  you 
went  open-mouthed  with  your  compliment  to  the  Mar- 
quise. This  adventure,"  continued  she,  "  reminded 
the  King  of  one  which  occurred  about  fifteen  years 
ago.  The  Comte  d'E ,  who  was  what  is  called 

Memoirs — 9 


26b  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

enfant  d'honneur  to  the  Dauphin,  and  about  fourteen 
years  of  age,  came  into  the  Dauphin's  apartments,  one 
evening,  with  his  bag-wig  snatched  off,  and  his  ruffles 
torn,  and  said  that,  having  walked  rather  late  near 
the  piece  of  water  des  Suisses,  he  had  been  attacked 
by  two  robbers;  that  he  had  refused  to  give  them 
anything,  drawn  his  sword,  and  put  himself  in  an 
attitude  of  defence;  that  one  of  the  robbers  was  armed 
with  a  sword,  the  other  with  a  large  stick,  from  which 
he  had  received  several  blows,  but  that  he  had 
wounded  one  in  the  arm,  and  that,  hearing  a  noise 
at  that  moment,  they  had  fled.  But  unluckily  for  the 
little  Count,  it  was  known  that  people  were  on  the 
spot  at  the  precise  time  he  mentioned,  and  had  heard 
nothing.  The  Count  was  pardoned,  on  account  of  his 
youth.  The  Dauphin  made  him  confess  the  truth, 
and  it  was  looked  upon  as  a  childish  freak  to  set  peo- 
ple talking  about  him." 

The  King  disliked  the  King  of  Prussia  because  he 
knew  that  the  latter  was  in  the  habit  of  jesting  upon 
his  mistress,  and  the  kind  of  life  he  led.  It  was 
Frederick's  fault,  as  I  have  heard  it  said,  that  the 
King  was  not  his  most  steadfast  ally  and  friend,  as 
much  as  sovereigns  can  be  towards  each  other;  but 
the  jestings  of  Frederick  had  stung  him,  and  made 
him  conclude  the  treaty  of  Versailles.  One  day,  he 
entered  Madame's  apartment  with  a  paper  in  his  hand, 
and  said,  "  The  King  of  Prussia  is  certainly  a  great 
man ;  he  loves  men  of  talent,  and,  like  Louis  XIV.,  he 
wishes  to  make  Europe  ring  with  his  favours  towards 
foreign  savans.  There  is  a  letter  from  him,  ad- 
dressed to  Milord  Marshal,  ordering  him  to  acquaint 
a  superieur  man  of  my  kingdom  (D'Alembert)  that 
he  has  granted  him  a  pension;"  and,  looking  at  the 
letter,  he  read  the  following  words :  "  You  must  know 
that  there  is  in  Paris  a  man  of  the  greatest  merit, 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     261 

whose  fortune  is  not  proportionate  to  his  talents  and 
character.  I  may  serve  as  eyes  to  the  blind  goddess, 
and  repair  in  some  measure  the  injustice,  and  I  beg 
you  to  offer  on  that  account.  I  flatter  myself  that 
he  will  accept  this  pension  because  of  the  pleasure  I 
shall  feel  in  obliging  a  man  who  joins  beauty  of  char- 
acter to  the  most  sublime  intellectual  talents."  The 
King  here  stopped,  on  seeing  MM.  d'Ayen  and  de 
Gontaut  enter,  and  then  recommenced  reading  the  let- 
ter to  them,  and  added,  "  It  was  given  me  by  the  Min- 
ister for  Foreign  Affairs,  to  whom  it  was  confided  by 
Milord  Marshal,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  my 
permission  for  this  sublime  genius  to  accept  the 
favour.  But,"  said  the  King,  "  what  do  you  think  is 
the  amount  ? "  Some  said  six,  eight,  ten  thousand 
livres.  "  You  have  not  guessed,"  said  the  King ;  "  it 
is  twelve  hundred  livres."  "  For  sublime  talents," 
said  the  Due  d'Ayen,  "  it  is  not  much.  But  the 
philosophers  will  make  Europe  resound  with  this  let- 
ter, and  the  King  of  Prussia  will  have  the  pleasure 
of  making  a  great  noise  at  little  expense." 

The  Chevalier  de  Courten,  who  had  been  in  Prus- 
sia, came  in,  and,  hearing  this  story  told,  said,  "  I 
have  seen  what  is  much  better  than  that:  passing 
through  a  village  in  Prussia,  I  got  out  at  the  post- 
house,  while  I  was  waiting  for  horses;  and  the  post- 
master, who  was  a  captain  in  the  Prussian  service, 
showed  me  several  letters  in  Frederick's  handwriting, 
addressed  to  his  uncle,  who  was  a  man  of  rank,  prom- 
ising him  to  provide  for  his  nephews;  the  provision 
he  made  for  this,  the  eldest  of  these  nephews,  who 
was  dreadfully  wounded,  was  the  postmaster  ship 
which  he  then  held."  M.  de  Marigny  related  this 
story  at  Quesnay's,  and  added,  that  the  man  of  genius 
above  mentioned  was  D'Alembert,  and  that  the  King 
had  permitted  him  to  accept  the  pension.  He  added, 


262  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV, 

that  his  sister  had  suggested  to  the  King  that  he  had 
better  give  D'Alembert  a  pension  of  twice  the  value, 
and  forbid  him  to  take  the  King  of  Prussia's.  This 
advice  he  would  not  take,  because  he  looked  upon 
D'Alembert  as  an  infidel.  M.  de  Marigny  took  a  copy 
of  the  letter,  which  he  lent  me. 

A  certain  nobleman,  at  one  time,  affected  to  cast 
tender  glances  on  Madame  Adelaide.  She  was 
wholly  unconscious  of  it;  but,  as  there  are  Arguses 
at  Court,  the  King  was,  of  course,  told  of  it,  and, 
indeed,  he  thought  he  had  perceived  it  himself.  I 
know  that  he  came  into  Madame  de  Pompadour's 
room  one  day,  in  a  great  passion,  and  said,  "  Would 
you  believe  that  there  is  a  man  in  my  Court  insolent 
enough  to  dare  to  raise  his  eyes  to  one  of  my  daugh- 
ters ?  "  Madame  had  never  seen  him  so  exasperated, 
and  this  illustrious  nobleman  was  advised  to  feign  a 
necessity  for  visiting  his  estates.  He  remained  there 
two  months.  Madame  told  me,  long  after,  that  she 
thought  that  there  were  no  tortures  to  which  the  King 
would  not  have  condemned  any  man  who  had  seduced 
one  of  his  daughters.  Madame  Adelaide,  at  the  time 
in  question,  was  a  charming  person,  and  united  in- 
finite grace,  and  much  talent,  to  a  most  agreeable 
,  face. 

A  courier  brought  Madame  de  Pompadour  a  letter, 
on  reading  which  she  burst  into  tears.  It  contained 
the  intelligence  of  the  battle  of  Rosbach,  which  M.  de 
Soubise  sent  her,  with  all  the  details.  I  heard  her 
say  to  the  Marechal  de  Belle-Isle,  wiping  her  eyes, 
"  M.  de  Soubise  is  inconsolable ;  he  does  not  try  to 
excuse  his  conduct,  he  sees  nothing  but  the  disastrous 
fortune  which  pursues  him."  "  M.  de  Soubise  must, 
however,  have  many  things  to  urge  in  his  own  be- 
half," said  M.  de  Belle-Isle,  "  and  so  I  told  the  King." 
"It  is  very  noble  in  you,  Marshal,  not  to  suffer 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     263 

an  unfortunate  man  to  be  overwhelmed;  the  public 
are  furious  against  him,  and  what  has  he  done  to 
deserve  it  ?  "  "  There  is  not  a  more  honourable  nor 
a  kinder  man  in  the  world.  I  only  fulfil  my  duty  in 
doing  justice  to  the  truth,  and  to  a  man  for  whom  I 
have  the  most  profound  esteem.  The  King  will  ex- 
plain to  you,  Madame,  how  M.  de  Soubise  was  forced 
to  give  battle  by  the  Prince  of  Saxe-Hildbourgshau- 
sen,  whose  troops  fled  first,  and  carried  along  the 
French  troops."  Madame  would  have  embraced  the 
old  Marshal  if  she  had  dared,  she  was  so  delighted 
with  him. 

M.  de  Soubise,  having  gained  a  battle,  was  made 
Marshal  of  France :  Madame  wras  enchanted  with  her 
friend's  success.  But,  either  it  was  unimportant,  or 
the  public  were  offended  at  his  promotion;  nobody 
talked  of  it  but  Madame's  friends.  This  unpopularity 
was  concealed  from  her,  and  she  said  to  Colin,  her 
steward,  at  her  toilet,  "  Are  you  not  delighted  at 
the  victory  M.  de  Soubise  has  gained?  What  does 
the  public  say  of  it?  He  has  taken  his  revenge  well." 
Colin  was  embarrassed,  and  knew  not  what  to  an- 
swer. As  she  pressed  him  further,  he  replied  that 
he  had  been  ill,  and  had  seen  nobody  for  a  week. 

M.  de  Marigny  came  to  see  me  one  day,  very  much 
out  of  humour.  I  asked  him  the  cause.  "  I  have," 
said  he,  "  just  been  intreating  my  sister  not  to  make 
M.  le  Normand-de-Mezi  Minister  of  the  Marine.  I 
told  her  that  she  was  heaping  coals  of  fire  upon  her 
own  head.  A  favourite  ought  not  to  multiply  the 
points  of  attack  upon  herself."  The  Doctor  entered. 
"  You,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  are  worth  your  weight 
in  gold,  for  the  good  sense  and  capacity  you  have 
shewn  in  your  office,  and  for  your  moderation,  but 
you  will  never  be  appreciated  as  you  deserve;  your 
advice  is  excellent;  there  will  never  be  a  ship  taken 


264  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

but  Madame  will  be  held  responsible  for  it  to  the 
public,  and  you  are  very  wise  not  to  think  of  being  in 
the  Ministry  yourself." 

One  day,  when  I  was  at  Paris,  I  went  to  dine  with 
the  Doctor,  who  happened  to  be  there  at  the  same 
time;  there  were,  contrary  to  his  usual  custom,  a 
good  many  people,  and,  among  others,  a  handsome 
young  Master  of  the  Requests,  who  took  a  title  from 
some  place,  the  name  of  which  I  have  forgotten,  but 
who  was  a  son  of  M.  Turgot,  the  prevot  des  mar- 
chands.  They  talked  a  great  deal  about  administra- 
tion, which  was  not  very  amusing  to  me;  they  then 
fell  upon  the  subject  of  the  love  Frenchmen  bear  to 
their  Kings.  M.  Turgot  here  joined  in  the  conversa- 
tion, and  said,  "  This  is  not  a  blind  attachment ;  it  is 
a  deeply  rooted  sentiment,  arising  from  an  indistinct 
recollection  of  great  benefits.  The  French  nation — I 
may  go  farther — Europe,  and  all  mankind,  owe  to  a 
King  of  France "  (I  have  forgotten  his  name) 
"whatever  liberty  they  enjoy.  He  established  com- 
munes, and  conferred  on  an  immense  number  of  men 
a  civil  existence.  I  am  aware  that  it  may  be  said, 
with  justice,  that  he  served  his  own  interests  by 
granting  these  franchises;  that  the  cities  paid  him 
taxes,  and  that  his  design  was  to  use  them  as  instru- 
ments of  weakening  the  power  of  great  nobles;  but 
what  does  that  prove,  but  that  this  measure  was  at 
once  useful,  politic,  and  humane?"  From  Kings  in 
general  the  conversation  turned  upon  Louis  XV.,  and 
M.  Turgot  remarked  that  his  reign  would  be  always 
celebrated  for  the  advancement  of  the  sciences,  the 
progress  of  knowledge,  and  of  philosophy.  He  added 
that  Louis  XV.  was  deficient  in  the  quality  which 
Louis  XIV.  possessed  to  excess;  that  is  to  say,  in  a 
good  opinion  of  himself;  that  he  was  well-informed; 
that  nobody  was  more  perfectly  master  of  the  topog- 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     265 

raphy  of  France;  that  his  opinion  in  the  Council  was 
always  the  most  judicious;  and  that  it  was  much  to 
be  lamented  that  he  had  not  more  confidence  in  him- 
self, or  that  he  did  not  rely  upon  some  Minister 
who  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the  nation.  Everybody 
agreed  with  him.  I  begged  M.  Quesnay  to  write 
down  what  young  Turgot  had  said,  and  snowed  it  to 
Madame.  She  praised  this  Master  of  the  Requests 
greatly,  and  spoke  of  him  to  the  King.  "  It  is  a  good 
breed,"  said  he. 

One  day,  I  went  out  to  walk,  and  saw,  on  my 
return,  a  great  many  people  going  and  coming,  and 
speaking  to  each  other  privately:  it  was  evident  that 
something  extraordinary  had  happened.  I  asked  a 
person  of  my  acquaintance  what  was  the  matter. 
"  Alas !  "  said  he,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  "  some  as- 
sassins, who  had  formed  the  project  of  murdering  the 
King,  have  inflicted  several  wounds  on  a  garde-du- 
corps,  who  overheard  them  in  a  dark  corridor;  he  is 
carried  to  the  hospital:  and  as  he  has  described  the 
colour  of  these  men's  coats,  the  Police  are  in  quest 
of  them  in  all  directions,  and  some  people,  dressed 
in  clothes  of  that  colour,  are  already  arrested."  I 
saw  Madame  with  M.  de  Gontaut,  and  I  hastened 
home.  She  found  her  door  besieged  by  a  multitude 
of  people,  and  was  alarmed :  when  she  got  in,  she 
found  the  Comte  de  Noailles.  "  What  is  all  this, 
Count  ? "  said  she.  He  said  he  was  come  expressly 
to  speak  to  her,  and  they  retired  to  her  closet  to- 
gether. The  conference  was  not  •  long.  I  had  re- 
mained in  the  drawing-room,  with  Madame's  equerry, 
the  Chevalier  de  Sosent,  Gourbillon,  her  valet  de 
chambre,  and  some  strangers.  A  great  many  de- 
tails were  related;  but,  the  wounds  being  little  more 
than  scratches,  and  the  garde-du-corps  having  let  fall 
some  contradictions,  it  was  thought  that  he  was  an 


266  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

impostor,  who  had  invented  all  this  story  to  bring 
himself  into  favour.  Before  the  night  was  over,  this 
was  proved  to  be  the  fact,  and,  I  believe,  from  his 
own  confession.  The  King  came,  that  evening,  to  see 
Madame  de  Pompadour;  he  spoke  of  this  occurrence 
with  great  sang  froid,  and  said,  "  The  gentleman  who 
wanted  to  kill  me  was  a  wicked  madman;  this  is  a  low 
scoundrel." 

When  he  spoke  of  Damiens,  which  was  only  while 
his  trial  lasted,  he  never  called  him  anything  but  that 
gentleman. 

I  have  heard  it  said  that  he  proposed  having  him 
shut  up  in  a  dungeon  for  life;  but  that  the  horrible 
nature  of  the  crime  made  the  judges  insist  upon  his 
suffering  all  the  tortures  inflicted  upon  like  occasions. 
Great  numbers,  many  of  them  women,  had  a  barba- 
rous curiosity  to  witness  the  execution;  amongst 

others,  Madame  de  P ,•  a  very  beautiful  woman, 

and  the  wife  of  a  Farmer  General.  She  hired  two 
places  at  a  window  for  twelve  louis,  and  played  a  game 
of  cards  in  the  room  whilst  waiting  for  the  execution 
to  begin.  On  this  being  told  to  the  King,  he  covered 
his  eyes  with  his  hands  and  exclaimed,  "  Fi,  la 
Vilaine!"  I  have  been  told  that  she,  and  others, 
thought  to  pay  their  court  in  this  way,  and  signalise 
their  attachment  to  the  King's  person. 

Two  things  were  related  to  me  by  M.  Duclos  at  the 
time  of  the  attempt  on  the  King's  life. 

The  first,  relative  to  the  Comte  de  Sponheim,  who 
was  the  Due  de  Deux-Ponts,  and  next  in  succession 
to  the  Palatinate  and  Electorate  of  Bavaria.  He  was 
thought  to  be  a  great  friend  to  the  King,  and  had 
made  several  long  sojourns  in  France.  He  came  fre- 
quently to  see  Madame.  M.  Duclos  told  us  that  the 
Due  de  Deux-Ponts,  having  learned,  at  Deux-Ponts, 
the  attempt  on  the  King's  life,  immediately  set  out 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     267 

in  a  carriage  for  Versailles :  "  But  remark,"  said  he, 
"  the  spirit  of  courtisanerie  of  a  Prince,  who  may  be 
Elector  of  Bavaria  and  the  Palatinate  to-morrow. 
This  was  not  enough.  When  he  arrived  within  ten 
leagues  of  Paris,  he  put  on  an  enormous  pair  of 
jack-boots,  mounted  a  post-horse,  and  arrived  in  the 
court  of  the  palace  cracking  his  whip.  If  this  had 
been  real  impatience,  and  not  charlatanism,  he  would 
have  taken  horse  twenty  leagues  from  Paris."  "  I 
don't  agree  with  you,"  said  a  gentleman  whom  I  did 
not  know ;  "  impatience  sometimes  seizes  one  towards 
the  end  of  an  undertaking,  and  one  employs  the 
readiest  means  then  in  one's  power.  Besides,  the  Due 
de  Deux-Ponts  might  wish,  by  showing  himself  thus 
on  horseback,  to  serve  the  King,  to  whom  he  is  at- 
tached, by  proving  to  Frenchmen  how  greatly  he  is 
beloved  and  honoured  in  other  countries."  Duclos 
resumed :  "  Well,"  said  he,  "  do  you  know  the  story 
of  M.  de  C ?  The  first  day  the  King  saw  com- 
pany, after  the  attempt  of  Damiens,  M.  de  C 

pushed  so  vigorously  through  the  crowd  that  he  was 
one  of  the  first  to  come  into  the  King's  presence,  but 
he  had  on  so  shabby  a  black  coat  that  it  caught  the 
King's  attention,  who  burst  out  laughing,  and  said, 

'  Look  at  C ,  he  has  had  the  skirt  of  his  coat  torn 

off.'     M.  de  C looked  as  if  he  was  only  then  first 

conscious  of  his  loss,  and  said,  '  Sire,  there  is  such  a 
multitude  hurrying  to  see  Your  Majesty,  that  I  was 
obliged  to  fight  my  way  through  them,  and,  in  the 
effort,  my  coat  has  been  torn.'  '  Fortunately  it  was 
not  worth  much/  said  the  Marquis  de  Souvre,  '  and 
you  could  not  have  chosen  a  worse  one  to  sacrifice  on 
the  occasion.'  " 

Madame  de  Pompadour  had  been  very  judiciously 
advised  to  get  her  husband,  M.  le  Normand,  sent  to 
Constantinople,  as  Ambassador.  This  would  have  a 


268  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

little  diminished  the  scandal  caused  by  seeing  Ma- 
dame de  Pompadour,  with  the  title  of  Marquise,  at 
Court,  and  her  husband  Farmer  General  at  Paris. 
But  he  was  so  attached  to  a  Paris  life,  and  to  his 
opera  habits,  that  he  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to 
go.  Madame  employed  a  certain  M.  d'Arboulin,  with 
whom  she  had  been  acquainted  before  she  was  at 
Court,  to  negotiate  this  affair.  He  applied  to  a 
Mademoiselle  Rem,  who  had  been  an  opera-dancer, 
and  who  was  M.  le  Normand's  mistress.  She  made 
him  very  fine  promises ;  but  she  was  like  him,  and  pre- 
ferred a  Paris  life.  She  would  do  nothing  in  it. 

At  the  time  that  plays  were  acted  in  the  little 
apartments,  I  obtained  a  lieutenancy  for  one  of  my 
relations,  by  a  singular  means,  which  proves  the  value 
the  greatest  people  set  upon  the  slightest  access  to  the 
Court.  Madame  did  not  like  to  ask  anything  of  M. 
d'Argenson,  and,  being  pressed  by  my  family,  who 
could  not  imagine  that,  situated  as  I  was,  it  could  be 
difficult  for  me  to  obtain  a  command  for  a  good  sol- 
dier, I  determined  to  go  and  ask  the  Comte  d'Argen- 
son. I  made  my  request,  and  presented  my  memorial. 
He  received  me  coldly,  and  gave  me  vague  answers. 

I  went  out,  and  the  Marquis  de  V ,  who  was  in 

his  closet,  followed  me.  "  You  wish  to  obtain  a  com- 
mand," said  he ;  "  there  is  one  vacant,  which  is  prom- 
ised me  for  one  of  my  proteges;  but  if  you  will  do 
me  a  favour  in  return,  or  obtain  one  for  me,  I  will 
give  it  to  you.  I  want  to  be  a  police  officer,  and  you 
have  it  in  your  power  to  get  me  a  place."  I  told  him 
I  did  not  understand  the  purport  of  his  jest.  "  I  will 
tell  you,"  said  he ;  (f  Tartuffe  is  going  to  be  acted  in 
the  cabinets,  and  there  is  the  part  of  a  police  officer, 
which  only  consists  of  a  few  lines.  Prevail  upon 
Madame  de  Pompadour  to  assign  me  that  part,  and 
the  command  is  yours."  I  promised  nothing,  but  I  re- 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     269 

lated  the  history  to  Madame,  who  said  she  would  ar- 
range it  for  me.     The  thing  was  done,  and  I  obtained 

the  command,   and  the  Marquis  de  V thanked 

Madame  as  if  she  had  made  him  a  Duke. 

The  King  was  often  annoyed  by  the  Parliaments, 
and  said  a  very  remarkable  thing  concerning  them, 
which  M.  de  Gontaut  repeated  to  Doctor  Quesnay  in 
my  presence.  "  Yesterday,"  said  he,  "  the  King 
walked  up  and  down  the  room  with  an  anxious  air. 
Madame  de  Pompadour  asked  him  if  he  was  uneasy 
about  his  health,  as  he  had  been,  for  some  time, 
rather  unwell.  '  No,'  replied  he ;  '  but  I  am  greatly 
annoyed  by  all  these  remonstrances.'  '  What  can 
come  of  them,'  said  she,  '  that  need  seriously  disquiet 
Your  Majesty?  Are  you  not  master  of  the  Parlia- 
ments, as  well  as  of  all  the  rest  of  the  king- 
dom? '  '  That  is  true,'  said  the  King;  '  but,  if  it  had 
not  been  for  these  counsellors  and  presidents,  I  should 
never  have  been  stabbed  by  that  gentleman'  (he  al- 
ways called  Damiens  so).  'Ah!  Sire,'  cried  Madame 
de  Pompadour.  '  Read  the  trial,'  said  he.  '  It  was 
the  language  of  those  gentlemen  he  names  which 
turned  his  head.'  '  But,'  said  Madame,  '  I  have  often 
thought  that,  if  the  Archbishop  could  be  sent  to 
Rome — '  '  Find  anybody  who  will  accomplish  that 
business,  and  I  will  give  him  whatever  he  pleases.' ' 
Quesnay  said  the  King  was  right  in  all  he  had  ut- 
tered. The  Archbishop  was  exiled  shortly  after,  and 
the  King  was  seriously  afflicted  at  being  driven  to 
take  such  a  step.  "  What  a  pity,"  he  often  said,  "  that 
so  excellent  a  man  should  be  so  obstinate."  "  And  so 
shallow,"  said  somebody,  one  day.  "  Hold  your 
tongue,"  replied  the  King,  somewhat  sternly.  The 
Archbishop  was  very  charitable,  and  liberal  to  excess, 
but  he  often  granted  pensions  without  discernment. 
He  granted  one  of  an  hundred  louis  to  a  pretty 


270  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

woman,  who  was  very  poor,  and  who  assumed  an 
illustrious  name,  to  which  she  had  no  right.  The 
fear  lest  she  should  be  plunged  into  vice  led  him  to 
bestow  such  excessive  bounty  upon  her;  and  the 
woman  was  an  admirable  dissembler.  She  went  to 
the  Archbishop's,  covered  with  a  great  hood,  and, 
when  she  left  him,  she  amused  herself  with  a  variety 
of  lovers. 

Great  people  have  the  bad  habit  of  talking  very 
indiscreetly  before  their  servants.  M.  de  Gontaut  once 
said  these  words  covertly,  as  he  thought,  to  the 

Due  de ,  "  That  measures  had  been  taken  which 

would,  probably,  have  the  effect  of  determining  the 
Archbishop  to  go  to  Rome,  with  a  Cardinal's  hat; 
and  that,  if  he  desired  it,  he  was  to  have  a  coadju- 
tor." 

A  very  plausible  pretext  had  been  found  for  making 
this  proposition,  and  for  rendering  it  flattering  to  the 
Archbishop,  and  agreeable  to  his  sentiments.  The 
affair  had  been  very  adroitly  begun,  and  success  ap- 
peared certain.  The  King  had  the  air,  towards  the 
Archbishop,  of  entire  unconsciousness  of  what  was 
going  on.  The  negotiator  acted  as  if  he  were  only 
following  the  suggestions  of  his  own  mind,  for  the 
general  good.  He  was  a  friend  of  the  Archbishop, 
and  was  very  sure  of  a  liberal  reward.  A  valet  of  the 
Due  de  Gontaut,  a  very  handsome  young  fellow,  had 
perfectly  caught  the  sense  of  what  was  spoken  in  a 
mysterious  manner.  He  was  one  of  the  lovers  of  the 
lady  of  the  hundred  louis  a  year,  and  had  heard  her 
talk  of  the  Archbishop,  whose  relation  she  pretended 
to  be.  He  thought  he  should  secure  her  good  graces 
by  informing  her  that  great  efforts  were  being  made 
to  induce  her  patron  to  reside  at  Rome,  with  a  view 
to  get  him  away  from  Paris.  The  lady  instantly  told 
the  Archbishop,  as  she  was  afraid  of  losing  her  pen- 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR,    271 

sion  if  he  went.  The  information  squared  so  well 
with  the  negotiation  then  on  foot,  that  the  Archbishop 
had  no  doubt  of  its  truth.  He  cooled,  by  degrees,  in 
his  conversations  with  the  negotiator,,  whom  he  re- 
garded as  a  traitor,  and  ended  by  breaking  with  him. 
These  details  were  not  known  till  long  afterwards. 
The  lover  of  the  lady  having  been  sent  to  the  Bicetre, 
some  letters  were  found  among  his  papers,  which  gave 
a  scent  of  the  affair,  and  he  was  made  to  confess  the 
rest. 

In  order  not  to  compromise  the  Due  de  Gontaut, 
the  King  was  told  that  the  valet  had  come  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  business  from  a  letter  which  he  had  found 
in  his  master's  clothes.  The  King  took  his  revenge 
by  humiliating  the  Archbishop,  which  he  was  enabled 
to  do  by  means  of  the  information  he  had  obtained 
concerning  the  conduct  of  the  lady,  his  protegee. 
She  was  found  guilty  of  swindling,  in  concert  with 
her  beloved  valet;  but,  before  her  punishment  was 
inflicted,  the  Lieutenant  of  Police  was  ordered  to  lay 
before  Monseigneur  a  full  account  of  the  conduct  of 
his  relation  and  pensioner.  The  Archbishop  had  noth- 
ing to  object  to  in  the  proofs  which  were  submitted 
to  him;  he  said,  with  perfect  calmness,  that  she  was 
not  his  relation;  and,  raising  his  hands  to  heaven, 
"  She  is  an  unhappy  wretch,"  said  he,  "  who  has 
robbed  me  of  the  money  which  was  destined  for  the 
poor.  But  God  knows  that,  in  giving  her  so  large 
a  pension,  I  did  not  act  lightly.  I  had,  at  the  time, 
before  my  eyes  the  example  of  a  young  woman  who 
once  asked  me  to  grant  her  seventy  louis  a  year, 
promising  me  that  she  would  always  live  very  virtu- 
ously, as  she  had  hitherto  done.  I  refused  her,  and 
she  said,  on  leaving  me,  '  I  must  turn  to  the  left, 
Monseigneur,  since  the  way  on  the  right  is  closed 
against  me.'  The  unhappy  creature  has  kept  her  word 


272  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

but  too  well.  She  found  means  of  establishing  a 
faro-table  at  her  house,  which  is  tolerated;  and  she 
joins  to  the  most  profligate  conduct  in  her  own  person 
the  infamous  trade  of  a  corrupter  of  youth ;  her  house 
is  the  abode  of  every  vice.  Think,  sir,  after  that, 
whether  it  was  not  an  act  of  prudence,  on  my  part,  to 
grant  the  woman  in  question  a  pension,  suitable  to 
the  rank  in  which  I  thought  her  born,  to  prevent  her 
abusing  the  gifts  of  youth,  beauty,  and  talents,  which 
she  possessed,  to  her  own  perdition,  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  others."  The  Lieutenant  of  Police  told  the 
King  that  he  was  touched  with  the  candour  and  the 
noble  simplicity  of  the  prelate.  "  I  never  doubted  his 
virtues,"  replied  the  King,  "  but  I  wish  he  would  be 
quiet."  This  same  Archbishop  gave  a  pension  of  fifty 
louis  a  year  to  the  greatest  scoundrel  in  Paris.  He  is 
a  poet,  who  writes  abominable  verses;  this  pension 
is  granted  on  condition  that  his  poems  are  never 
printed.  I  learned  this  fact  from  M.  de  Marigny,  to 
whom  he  recited  some  of  his  horrible  verses  one  even- 
ing, when  he  supped  with  him,  in  company  with 
some  people  of  quality.  He  chinked  the  money  in  his 
pocket.  "This  is  my  good  Archbishop's,"  said  he, 
laughing;  "  I  keep  my  word  with  him:  my  poem  will 
not  be  printed  during  my  life,  but  I  read  it.  What 
would  the  good  prelate  say  if  he  knew  that  I  shared 
my  last  quarter's  allowance  with  a  charming  little 
opera-dancer  ?  '  It  is  the  Archbishop,  then,  who  keeps 
me,'  said  she  to  me ;  '  Oh,  la !  how  droll  that  is ! ' 
The  King  heard  this,  and  was  much  scandalised  at 
it.  "  How  difficult  it  is  to  do  good !  "  said  he. 

The  King  came  into  Madame  de  Pompadour's 
room,  one  day,  as  she  was  finishing  dressing.  "  I 
have  just  had  a  strange  adventure,"  said  he :  "  would 
you  believe  that,  in  going  out  of  my  wardroom  into 
my  bedroom,  I  met  a  gentleman  face  to  face  ?  "  "  My 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     273 

God !  Sire,"  cried  Madame,  terrified.  "  It  was  noth- 
ing," replied  he;  "but  I  confess  I  was  greatly  sur- 
prised :  the  man  appeared  speechless  with  consterna- 
tion. '  What  do  you  do  here  ? '  cried  I,  civilly.  He 
threw  himself  on  his  knees,  saying,  '  Pardon  me,  Sire; 
and,  above  all,  have  me  searched.'  He  instantly 
emptied  his  pockets  himself;  he  pulled  off  his  coat  in 
the  greatest  agitation  and  terror:  at  last  he  told  me 

that  he  was  cook  to ,  and  a  friend  of  Beccari, 

whom  he  came  to  visit;  that  he  had  mistaken  the 
staircase,  and,  finding  all  the  doors  open,  he  had 
wandered  into  the  room  in  which  I  found  him,  and 
which  he  would  have  instantly  left:  I  rang;  Guimard 
came,  and  was  astonished  enough  at  finding  me  tete- 
a-tete  with  a  man  in  his  shirt.  He  begged  Guimard 
to  go  with  him  into  another  room,  and  to  search  his 
whole  person.  After  this,  the  poor  devil  returned, 
and  put  on  his  coat.  Guimard  said  to  me,  '  He  is 
certainly  an  honest  man,  and  tells  the  truth;  this  may, 
besides,  be  easily  ascertained.'  Another  of  the  ser- 
vants of  the  palace  came  in,  and  happened  to  know 
him.  '  I  will  answer  for  this  good  man,'  said  he,  '  who, 
moreover,  makes  the  best  bceuf  a  I'ecarlate  in  the 
world.'  As  I  saw  the  man  was  so  agitated  that  he 
could  not  stand  steady,  I  took  fifty  louis  out  of  my 
bureau,  and  said,  '  Here,  sir,  are  fifty  louis,  to  quiet 
your  alarms.'  He  went  out,  after  throwing  himself 
at  my  feet."  Madame  exclaimed  on  the  impropriety 
of  having  the  King's  bedroom  thus  accessible  to 
everybody.  He  talked  with  great  calmness  of  this 
strange  apparition,  but  it  was  evident  that  he  con- 
trolled himself,  and  that  he  had,  in  fact,  been  much 
frightened,  as,  indeed,  he  had  reason  to  be.  Madame 
highly  approved  of  the  gift;  and  she  was  the  more 
right  in  applauding  it,  as  it  was  by  no  means  in  the 
King's  usual  manner.  M.  de  Marigny  said,  when  I 


274  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

told  him  of  this  adventure,  that  he  would  have 
wagered  a  thousand  louis  against  the  King's  making 
a  present  of  fifty,  if  anybody  but  I  had  told  him  of 
the  circumstance.  "  It  is  a  singular  fact,"  continued 
he,  "  that  all  of  the  race  of  Valois  have  been  liberal 
to  excess;  this  is  not  precisely  the  case  with  the  Bour- 
bons, who  are  rather  reproached  with  avarice.  Henri 
IV.  was  said  to  be  avaricious.  He  gave  to  his  mis- 
tresses, because  he  could  refuse  them  nothing;  but 
he  played  with  the  eagerness  of  a  man  whose  whole 
fortune  depends  on  the  game.  Louis  XIV.  gave 
through  ostentation.  It  is  most  astonishing,"  added 
he,  "  to  reflect  on  what  might  have  happened.  The 
King  might  actually  have  been  assassinated  in  his 
chamber,  without  anybody  knowing  anything  of  the 
matter  and  without  a  possibility  of  discovering  the 
murderer."  For  more  than  a  fortnight  Madame  could 
not  get  over  this  incident. 

About  that  time  she  had  a  quarrel  with  her  brother, 
and  both  were  in  the  right.  Proposals  were  made  to 
him  to  marry  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  greatest 
noblemen  of  the  Court,  and  the  King  consented  to 
create  him  a  Duke,  and  even  to  make  the  title  heredi- 
tary. Madame  was  right  in  wishing  to  aggrandise 
her  brother,  but  he  declared  that  he  valued  his  liberty 
above  all  things,  and  that  he  would  not  sacrifice  it 
except  for  a  person  he  really  loved.  He  was  a  true 
Epicurean  philosopher,  and  a  man  of  great  capacity, 
according  to  the  report  of  those  who  knew  him  well, 
and  judged  him  impartially.  It  was  entirely  at  his 
option  to  have  had  the  reversion  of  M.  de  St.  Floren- 
tin's  place,  and  the  place  of  Minister  of  Marine,  when 
M.  de  Machault  retired;  he  said  to  his  sister,  at  the 
time,  "  I  spare  you  many  vexations,  by  depriving  you 
of  a  slight  satisfaction.  The  people  would  be  unjust 
to  me,  however  well  I  might  fulfil  the  duties  of  my 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR1    '275 

office.  As  to  M.  de  St.  Florentin's  place,  he  may  live 
five-and-twenty  years,  so  that  I  should  not  be  the 
better  for  it.  Kings'  mistresses  are  hated  enough  on 
their  own  account;  they  need  not  also  draw  upon 
themselves  the  hatred  which  is  directed  against 
Ministers."  M.  Quesnay  repeated  this  conversation 
to  me. 

The  King  had  another  mistress,  who  gave  Madame 
de  Pompadour  some  uneasiness.  She  was  a  woman 
of  quality,  and  the  wife  of  one  of  the  most  assiduous 
courtiers. 

A  man  in  immediate  attendance  on  the  King's  per- 
son, and  who  had  the  care  of  his  clothes,  came  to 
me  one  day,  and  told  me  that,  as  he  was  very  much 
attached  to  Madame,  because  she  was  good  and  useful 
to  the  King,  he  wished  to  inform  me  that,  a  letter 
having  fallen  out  of  the  pocket  of  a  coat  which  His 
Majesty  had  taken  off,  he  had  had  the  curiosity  to 
read  it,  and  found  it  to  be  from  the  Comtesse  de 

,  who  had  already  yielded  to  the  King's  desires. 

In  this  letter,  she  required  the  King  to  give  her  fifty 
thousand  crowns  in  money,  a  regiment  for  one  of  her 
relations,  and  a  bishopric  for  another,  and  to  dismiss 
Madame  in  the  space  of  fifteen  days,  etc.  I 
acquainted  Madame  with  what  this  man  told  me,  and 
she  acted  with  singular  greatness  of  mind.  She  said 
to  me,  "  I  ought  to  inform  the  King  of  this  breach  of 
trust  of  his  servant,  who  may,  by  the  same  means, 
come  to  the  knowledge  of,  and  make  a  bad  use  of, 
important  secrets;  but  I  feel  a  repugnance  to  ruin 
the  man:  however,  I  cannot  permit  him  to  remain 
near  the  King's  person,  and  here  is  what  I  shall  do: 
Tell  him  that  there  is  a  place  of  ten  thousand  francs 
a  year  vacant  in  one  of  the  provinces;  let  him  solicit 
the  Minister  of  Finance  for  it,  and  it  shall  be  granted 
to  him;  but,  if  he  should  ever  disclose  through  what 


276  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

interest  he  has  obtained  it,  the  King  shall  be  made 
acquainted  with  his  conduct.  By  this  means,  I  think 
I  shall  have  done  all  that  my  attachment  and  duty 
prescribe.  I  rid  the  King  of  a  faithless  domestic, 
without  ruining  the  individual."  I  did  as  Madame 
ordered  me :  her  delicacy  and  address  inspired  me 
with  admiration.  She  was  not  alarmed  on  account 
of  the  lady,  seeing  what  her  pretensions  were.  "  She 
drives  too  quick,"  remarked  Madame,  "  and  will  cer- 
tainly be  overturned  on  the  road."  The  lady  died. 

"  See  what  the  Court  is ;  all  is  corruption  there, 
from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,"  said  I  to  Madame, 
one  day,  when  she  was  speaking  to  me  of  some  facts 
that  had  come  to  my  knowledge.  "  I  could  tell  you 
many  others,"  replied  Madame ;  "  but  the  little 
chamber,  where  you  often  remain,  must  furnish  you 
with  a  sufficient  number."  This  was  a  little  nook, 
from  whence  I  could  hear  a  great  part  of  what  passed 
in  Madame's  apartment.  The  Lieutenant  of  Police 
sometimes  came  secretly  to  this  apartment,  and 
waited  there.  Three  or  four  persons,  of  high  consid- 
eration, also  found  their  way  in,  in  a  mysterious 
manner,  and  several  devotees,  who  were,  in  their 
hearts,  enemies  of  Madame  de  Pompadour.  But 
these  men  had  not  petty  objects  in  view :  one  required 
the  government  of  a  province;  another,  a  seat  in  the 
Council;  a  third,  a  Captaincy  of  the  Guards;  and  this 
man  would  have  obtained  it  if  the  Marechale  de 
Mirepoix  had  not  requested  it  for  her  brother,  the 
Prince  de  Beauvan.  The  Chevalier  du  Muy  was  not 
among  these  apostates;  not  even  the  promise  of  being 
High  Constable  would  have  tempted  him  to  make  up 
to  Madame,  still  less  to  betray  his  master,  the 
Dauphin.  The  Prince  was,  to  the  last  degree,  weary 
of  the  station  he  held.  Sometimes,  when  teased  to 
death  by  ambitious  people,  who  pretended  to  be  Catos, 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     277 

or  wonderfully  devout,  he  took  part  against  a 
Minister  against  whom  he  was  prepossessed;  then 
relapsed  into  his  accustomed  state  of  inactivity  and 
ennui. 

The  King  used  to  say,  "  My  son  is  lazy ;  his  temper 
is  Polonese — hasty  and  changeable;  he  has  no  tastes; 
he  cares  nothing  for  hunting,  for  women,  or  for  good 
living;  perhaps  he  imagines  that  if  he  were  in  my 
place  he  would  be  happy ;  at  first,  he  would  make  great 
changes,  create  everything  anew,  as  it  were.  In  a 
short  time  he  would  be  as  tired  of  the  rank  of  King 
as  he  now  is  of  his  own;  he  is  only  fit  to  live  en 
philosophe,  with  clever  people  about  him."  The  King 
added,  "  He  loves  what  is  right ;  he  is  truly  virtuous, 
and  does  not  want  understanding." 

M.  de  St.  Germain  said,  one  day,  to  the  King,  "  To 
think  well  of  mankind,  one  must  be  neither  a  Con- 
fessor, nor  a  Minister,  nor  a  Lieutenant  of  Police." 
"  Nor  a  King,"  said  His  Majesty.  "  Ah!  Sire,"  replied 
he,  "  you  remember  the  fog  we  had  a  few  days  ago, 
•when  we  could  not  see  four  steps  before  us.  Kings 
are  commonly  surrounded  by  still  thicker  fogs,  col- 
lected around  them  by  men  of  intriguing  character, 
and  faithless  Ministers — all,  of  every  class,  unite  in 
endeavouring  to  make  things  appear  to  Kings  in  any 
light  but  the  true  one."  I  heard  this  from  the  mouth 
of  the  famous  Comte  de  St.  Germain,  as  I  was 
attending  upon  Madame,  who  was  ill  in  bed.  The 
King  was  there;  and  the  Count,  who  was  a  welcome 
visitor,  had  been  admitted.  There  were  also  present, 
M.  de  Gontaut,  Madame  de  Brancas,  and  the  Abbe 
de  Bernis.  I  remember  that  the  very  same  day,  after 
the  Count  was  gone  out,  the  King  talked  in  a  style 
which  gave  Madame  great  pain.  Speaking  of  the 
King  of  Prussia,  he  said,  "  That  is  a  madman,  who 
will  risk  all  to  gain  all,  and  may,  perhaps,  win  the 


278  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

game,  though  he  has  neither  religion,  morals,  nor 
principles.  He  wants  to  make  a  noise  in  the  world, 
and  he  will  succeed.  Julian,  the  Apostate,  did  the 
same."  "  I  never  saw  the  King  so  animated  before," 
observed  Madame,  when  he  was  gone  out ;  "  and 
really  the  comparison  with  Julian,  the  Apostate,  is 
not  amiss,  considering  the  irreligion  of  the  King  of 
Prussia.  If  he  gets  out  of  his  perplexities,  sur- 
rounded as  he  is  by  his  enemies,  he  will  be  one  of  the 
greatest  men  in  history." 

M.  de  Bernis  remarked,  "  Madame  is  correct  in  her 
judgment,  for  she  has  no  reason  to  pronounce  his 
praises;  nor  have  I,  though  I  agree  with  what  she 
says."  Madame  de  Pompadour  never  enjoyed  so 
much  influence  as  at  the  time  when  M.  de  Choiseul 
became  one  of  the  Ministry.  From  the  time  of  the 
Abbe  de  Bernis  she  had  afforded  him  her  constant 
support,  and  he  had  been  employed  in  foreign  affairs, 
of  which  he  was  said  to  know  but  little.  Madame 
made  the  Treaty  of  Vienna,  though  the  first  idea  of 
it  was  certainly  furnished  her  by  the  Abbe.  I  have 
been  informed  by  several  persons  that  the  King  often 
talked  to  Madame  upon  this  subject;  for  my  own 
part,  I  never  heard  any  conversation  relative  to  it, 
except  the  high  praises  bestowed  by  her  on  the 
Empress  and  the  Prince  de  Kaunitz,  whom  she  had 
known  a  good  deal  of.  She  said  that  he  had  a  clear 
head,  the  head  of  a  statesman.  One  day,  when  she 
was  talking  in  this  strain,  some  one  tried  to  cast 
ridicule  upon  the  Prince  on  account  of  the  style  in 
which  he  wore  his  hair,  and  the  four  valets  de 
chambrc,  who  made  the  hair-powder  fly  in  all  direc- 
tions, while  Kaunitz  ran  about  that  he  might  only 
catch  the  superfine  part  of  it.  "Aye,"  said  Madame, 
"  just  as  Alcibiades  cut  off  his  dog's  tail  in  order  to 
give  the  Athenians  something  to  talk  about,  and  to 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     279 

turn  their  attention  from  those  things  he  wished  to 
conceal." 

Never  was  the  public  mind  so  inflamed  against 
Madame  de  Pompadour  as  when  news  arrived  of  the 
battle  of  Rosbach.  Every  day  she  received  anony- 
mous letters,  full  of  the  grossest  abuse;  atrocious 
verses,  threats  of  poison  and  assassination.  She  con- 
tinued long  a  prey  to  the  most  acute  sorrow,  and 
could  get  no  sleep  but  from  opiates.  All  this  discon- 
tent was  excited  by  her  protecting  the  Prince  of 
Soubise;  and  the  Lieutenant  of  Police  had  great 
difficulty  in  allaying  the  ferment  of  the  people.  The 
King  affirmed  that  it  was  not  his  fault.  M.  du 
Verney  was  the  confidant  of  Madame  in  everything 
relating  to  war;  a  subject  which  he  well  understood, 
though  not  a  military  man  by  profession.  The  old 
Marechal  de  Noailles  called  him,  in  derision,  the  Gen- 
eral of  the  flour,  but  Marechal  Saxe,  one  day,  told 
Madame  that  du  Verney  knew  more  of  military  mat- 
ters than  the  old  Marshal.  Du  Verney  once  paid  a 
visit  to  Madame  de  Pompadour,  and  found  her  in 
company  with  the  King,  the  Minister  of  War,  and 
two  Marshals;  he  submitted  to  them  the  plan  of  a 
campaign,  which  was  generally  applauded.  It  was 
through  his  influence  that  M.  de  Richelieu  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  command  of  the  army,  instead  of  the 
Marechal  d'Estrees.  He  came  to  Quesnay  two  days 
after,  when  I  was  with  him.  The  Doctor  began  talk- 
ing about  the  art  of  war,  and  I  remember  he  said, 
"Military  men  make  a  great  mystery  of  their  art; 
but  what  is  the  reason  that  young  Princes  have  always 
the  most  brilliant  success?  Why,  because  they  are 
active  and  daring.  When  Sovereigns  command  their 
troops  in  person  what  exploits  they  perform!  Clearly, 
because  they  are  at  liberty  to  run  all  risks."  These 
observations  made  a  lasting  impression  on  my  mind. 


28o  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

The  first  physician  came,  one  day,  to  see  Madame: 
he  was  talking  of  madmen  and  madness.  The  King 
was  present,  and  everything  relating  to  disease  of 
any  kind  interested  him.  The  first  physician  said 
that  he  could  distinguish  the  symptoms  of  approach- 
ing madness  six  months  beforehand.  "  Are  there  any 
persons  about  the  Court  likely  to  become  mad  ?  "  said 
the  King.  "  I  know  one  who  will  be  imbecile  in  less 
than  three  months,"  replied  he.  The  King  pressed 
him  to  tell  the  name.  He  excused  himself  for  some 
time.  At  last  he  said,  "  It  is  M.  de  Sechelles,  the 
Controller-General."  "  You  have  a  spite  against 
him,"  said  Madame,  "  because  he  would  not  grant 
what  you  asked."  "That  is  true,"  said  he,  "but 
though  that  might  possibly  incline  me  to  tell  a  dis- 
agreeable truth,  it  would  not  make  me  invent  one. 
He  is  losing  his  intellects  from  debility.  He  affects 
gallantry  at  his  age,  and  I  perceive  the  connection  in 
his  ideas  is  becoming  feeble  and  irregular."  The 
King  laughed;  but  three  months  afterwards  he  came 
to  Madame,  saying,  "  Sechelles  gives  evident  proofs 
of  dotage  in  the  Council.  We  must  appoint  a  suc- 
cessor to  him."  Madame  de  Pompadour  told  me  of 
this  on  the  way  to  Choisy.  Some  time  afterwards, 
the  first  physician  came  to  see  Madame,  and  spoke  to 
her  in  private.  "  You  are  attached  to  M.  Berryer, 
Madame,"  said  he,  "  and  I  am  sorry  to  have  to  warn 
you  that  he  will  be  attacked  by  madness,  or  by  cata- 
lepsy, before  long.  I  saw  him  this  morning  at  chapel, 
sitting  on  one  of  those  very  low  little  chairs,  which 
are  only  meant  to  kneel  upon.  His  knees  touched  his 
chin.  I  went  to  his  house  after  mass;  his  eyes  were 
wild,  and  when  his  secretary  spoke  to  him,  he  said, 
'  Hold  your  tongue,  pen.  A  pen's  business  is  to  write, 
and  not  to  speak.' ''  Madame,  who  liked  the  Keeper 
of  the  Seals,  was  very  much  concerned,  and  begged 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     281 

the  first  physician  not  to  mention  what  he  had  per- 
ceived. Four  days  after  this,  M.  Berryer  was  seized 
with  catalepsy,  after  having  talked  incoherently.  This 
is  a  disease  which  I  did  not  know  even  by  name,  and 
got  it  written  down  for  me.  The  patient  remains 
in  precisely  the  same  position  in  which  the  fit  seizes 
him;  one  leg  or  arm  elevated,  the  eyes  wide  open, 
or  just  as  it  may  happen.  This  latter  affair  was 
known  to  all  the  Court  at  the  death  of  the  Keeper 
of  the  Seals. 

When  the  Marechal  de  Belle-Isle's  son  was  killed 
in  battle,  Madame  persuaded  the  King  to  pay  his 
father  a  visit.  He  was  rather  reluctant,  and  Madame 
said  to  him,  with  an  air  half  angry,  half  playful: 

"  Barbare  !  dont  1'orgueil 

Croit  le  sang  d'un  sujet  trop  paye  d'un  coup  d'oeil." 

The  King  laughed,  and  said,  "  Whose  fine  verses 

are  those  ?  "  "  Voltaire's,"  said  Madame  . 

"  As  barbarous  as  I  am,  I  gave  him  the  place  of 
gentleman  in  ordinary,  and  a  pension,"  said  the  King. 

The  King  went  in  state  to  call  on  the  Marshal, 
followed  by  all  the  Court;  and  it  certainly  appeared 
that  this  solemn  visit  consoled  the  Marshal  for  the 
loss  of  his  son,  the  sole  heir  to  his  name. 

When  the  Marshal  died,  he  was  carried  to  his 
house  on  a  common  hand-barrow,  covered  with  a 
shabby  cloth.  I  met  the  body.  The  bearers  were 
laughing  and  singing.  I  thought  it  was  some  ser- 
vant, and  asked  who  it  was.  How,  great  was  my 
surprise  at  learning  that  these  were  the  remains  of  a 
man  abounding  in  honours  and  in  riches.  Such  is  the 
Court;  the  dead  are  always  in  fault,  and  cannot  be 
put  out  of  sight  too  soon. 

The  King  said,  "  M.  Fouquet  is  dead,  I  hear." 
"  He  was  no  longer  Fouquet,"  replied  the  Due 


282  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

d'Ayen ;  "  Your  Majesty  had  permitted  him  to  change 
that  name,  under  which,  however,  he  acquired  all  his 
reputation."  The  King  shrugged  his  shoulders.  His 
Majesty  had,  in  fact,  granted  him  letters  patent,  per- 
mitting him  not  to  sign  Fottquet  during  his  Ministry. 
I  heard  this  on  the  occasion  in  question.  M.  de 
Choiseul  had  the  war  department  at  his  death.  He 
was  every  day  more  and  more  in  favour.  Madame 
treated  him  with  greater  distinction  than  any  previous 
Minister,  and  his  manners  towards  her  were  the  most 
agreeable  it  is  possible  to  conceive,  at  once  respectful 
and  gallant.  He  never  passed  a  day  without  seeing 
her.  M.  de  Marigny  could  not  endure  M.  de  Choiseul, 
but  he  never  spoke  of  him,  except  to  his  intimate 
friends.  Calling,  one  day,  at  Quesnay's,  I  found  him 
there.  They  were  talking  of  M.  de  Choiseul.  "  He 
is  a  mere  petit  maitre,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  and,  if  he 
were  handsome  just  fit  to  be  one  of  Henri  the  Third's 
favourites."  The  Marquis  de  Mirabeau  and  M.  de 
La  Riviere  came  in.  "  This  kingdom,"  said  Mira- 
beau, "  is  in  a  deplorable  state.  There  is  neither  na- 
tional energy,  nor  the  only  substitute  for  it — money." 
"  It  can  only  be  regenerated,"  said  La  Riviere,  "  by 
a  conquest,  like  that  of  China,  or  by  some  great 
internal  convulsion;  but  woe  to  those  who  live  to  see 
that!  The  French  people  do  not  do  things  by  halves." 
These  words  made  me  tremble,  and  I  hastened  out 
of  the  room.  M.  de  Marigny  did  the  same,  though 
without  appearing  at  all  affected  by  what  had  been 
said.  "  You  heard  De  La  Riviere,"  said  he, — "  but 
don't  be  alarmed,  the  conversations  that  pass  at  the 
Doctor's  are  never  repeated;  these  are  honourable 
men,  though  rather  chimerical.  They  know  not  where 
to  stop.  I  think,  however,  they  are  in  the  right  way; 
only,  unfortunately,  they  go  too  far."  I  wrote  this 
down  immediately. 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     283 

The  Comte  de  St.  Germain  came  to  see  Madame 
de  Pompadour,  who  was  ill,  and  lay  on  the  sofa.  He 
shewed  her  a  little  box,  containing  topazes,  rubies, 
and  emeralds.  He  appeared  to  have  enough  to 
furnish  a  treasury.  Madame  sent  for  me  to  see  all 
these  beautiful  things.  I  looked  at  them  with  an  air 
of  the  utmost  astonishment,  but  I  made  signs  to 
Madame  that  I  thought  them  all  false.  The  Count 
felt  for  something  in  his  pocketbook,  about  twice  as 
large  as  a  spectacle-case,  and,  at  length,  drew  out  two 
or  three  little  paper  packets,  which  he  unfolded,  and 
exhibited  a  superb  ruby.  He  threw  on  the  table,  with 
a  contemptuous  air,  a  little  cross  of  green  and  white 
stones.  I  looked  at  it  and  said,  "  That  is  not  to  be 
despised."  I  put  it  on,  and  admired  it  greatly.  The 
Count  begged  me  to  accept  it.  I  refused — he  urged 
me  to  take  it.  Madame  then  refused  it  for  me.  At 
length,  he  pressed  it  upon  me  so  warmly  that  Madame, 
seeing  that  it  could  not  be  worth  above  forty  louis, 
made  me  a  sign  to  accept  it.  I  took  the  cross,  much 
pleased  at  the  Count's  politeness  and,  some  days  after, 
Madame  presented  him  with  an  enamelled  box,  upon 
which  was  the  portrait  of  some  Grecian  sage  (whose 
name  I  don't  recollect),  to  whom  she  compared  him. 
I  shewed  the  cross  to  a  jeweller,  who  valued  it  at 
sixty-five  louis.  The  Count  offered  to  bring  Madame 
some  enamel  portraits,  by  Petitot,  to  look  at,  and  she 
told  him  to  bring  them  after  dinner,  while  the  King 
was  hunting.  He  shewed  his  portraits,  after  which 
Madame  said  to  him,  "  I  have  heard  a  great  deal  of 
a  charming  story  you  told  two  days  ago,  at  supper, 
at  M.  le  Premier's,  of  an  occurrence  you  witnessed 
fifty  or  sixty  years  ago."  He  smiled  and  said,  "  It  is 
rather  long."  "  So  much  the  better,"  said  she,  with 
an  air  of  delight.  Madame  de  Gontaut  and  the  ladies 
came  in,  and  the  door  was  shut;  Madame  made  a 


284  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV, 

sign  to  me  to  sit  down  behind  the  screen.  The  Counf 
made  many  apologies  for  the  ennui  which  his  story 
would,  perhaps,  occasion.  He  said,  "  Sometimes  one 
can  tell  a  story  pretty  well;  at  other  times  it  is  quite 
a  different  thing." 

"At  the  beginning  of  this  century,  the  Marquis  de 
St.  Gilles  was  Ambassador  from  Spain  to  the  Hague. 
In  his  youth  he  had  been  particularly  intimate  with  the 
Count  of  Moncade,  a  grandee  of  Spain,  and  one  of 
the  richest  nobles  of  that  country.  Some  months 
after  the  Marquis's  arrival  at  the  Hague,  he  received 
a  letter  from  the  Count,  entreating  him,  in  the  name 
of  their  former  friendship,  to  render  him  the  greatest 
possible  service.  '  You  know/  said  he,  *  my  dear  Mar- 
quis, the  mortification  I  felt  that  the  name  of  Mon- 
cade was  likely  to  expire  with  me.  At  length,  it 
pleased  heaven  to  hear  my  prayers,  and  to  grant  me 
a  son:  he  gave  early  promise  of  dispositions  worthy 
of  his  birth,  but  he,  some  time  since,  formed  an  unfor- 
tunate and  disgraceful  attachment  to  the  most  cele- 
brated actress  of  the  company  of  Toledo.  I  shut  my 
eyes  to  this  imprudence  on  the  part  of  a  young  man 
whose  conduct  had,  till  then,  caused  me  unmingled 
satisfaction.  But,  having  learnt  that  he  was  so 
blinded  by  passion  as  to  intend  to  marry  this  girl,  and 
that  he  had  even  bound  himself  by  a  written  promise 
to  that  effect,  I  solicited  the  King  to  have  her  placed 
in  confinement.  My  son,  having  got  information  of 
the  steps  I  had  taken,  defeated  my  intentions  by 
escaping  with  the  object  of  his  passion.  For  more 
than  six  months  I  have  vainly  endeavoured  to  dis- 
cover where  he  has  concealed  himself,  but  I  have  now 
some  reason  to  think  he  is  at  the  Hague.'  The  Count 
earnestly  conjured  the  Marquis  to  make  the  most 
rigid  search,  in  order  to  discover  his  son's  retreat,  and 
to  endeavour  to  prevail  upon  him  to  return  to  his 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR    285 

home.  *  It  is  an  act  of  justice,'  continued  he,  '  to  pro- 
vide for  the  girl,  if  she  consents  to  give  up  the  written 
promise  of  marriage  which  she  has  received,  and  I 
leave  it  to  your  discretion  to  do  what  is  right  for  her, 
as  well  as  to  determine  the  sum  necessary  to  bring 
my  son  to  Madrid  in  a  manner  suitable  to  his  con- 
dition. I  know  not,'  concluded  he,  '  whether  you  are 
a  father;  if  you  are,  you  will  be  able  to  sympathise 
in  my  anxieties.'  The  Count  subjoined  to  this  letter 
an  exact  description  of  his  son,  and  the  young  woman 
by  whom  he  was  accompanied.  On  the  receipt  of  this 
letter,  the  Marquis  lost  not  a  moment  in  sending  to 
all  the  inns  in  Amsterdam,  Rotterdam,  and  the 
Hague,  but  in  vain — he  could  find  no  trace  of  them. 
He  began  to  despair  of  success,  when  the  idea  struck 
him  that  a  young  French  page  of  his,  remarkable  for 
his  quickness  and  intelligence,  might  be  employed  with 
advantage.  He  promised  to  reward  him  handsomely 
if  he  succeeded  in  finding  the  young  woman,  who  was 
the  cause  of  so  much  anxiety,  and  gave  him  the 
description  of  her  person.  The  page  visited  all  the 
public  places  for  many  days,  without  success;  at 
length,  one  evening,  at  the  play,  he  saw  a  young  man 
and  woman,  in  a  box,  who  attracted  his  attention. 
When  he  saw  that  they  perceived  he  was  looking  at 
them,  and  withdrew  to  the  back  of  the  box  to  avoid 
his  observation,  he  felt  confident  that  they  were  the 
objects  of  his  search.  He  did  not  take  his  eyes  from 
the  box,  and  watched  every  movement  in  it.  The 
instant  the  performance  ended,  he  was  in  the  passage 
leading  from  the  boxes  to  the  door,  and  he  remarked 
that  the  young  man,  who,  doubtless,  observed  the 
dress  he  wore,  tried  to  conceal  himself,  as  he  passed 
him,  by  putting  his  handkerchief  before  his  face.  He 
followed  him,  at  a  distance,  to  the  inn  called  the 
Vicomte  de  Turewne,  which  he  saw  him  an**  the 


286  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

woman  enter;  and,  being  now  certain  of  success,  he 
ran  to  inform  the  Ambassador.  The  Marquis  de  St. 
Gilles  immediately  repaired  to  the  inn,  wrapped  in  a 
cloak,  and  followed  by  his  page  and  two  servants. 
He  desired  the  landlord  to  show  him  to  the  room  of 
a  young  man  and  woman,  who  had  lodged  for  some 
time  in  his  house.  The  landlord,  for  some  time, 
refused  to  do  so,  unless  the  Marquis  would  give  their 
name.  The  page  told  him  to  take  notice  that  he  was 
speaking  to  the  Spanish  Ambassador,  who  had  strong 
reasons  for  wishing  to  see  the  persons  in  question. 
The  innkeeper  said  they  wished  not  to  be  known,  and 
that  they  had  absolutely  forbidden  him  to  admit  any- 
body into  their  apartment  who  did  not  ask  for  them 
by  name;  but  that,  since  the  Ambassador  desired  it, 
he  would  show  him  their  room.  He  then  conducted 
them  up  to  a  dirty,  miserable  garret.  He  knocked  at 
the  door,  and  waited  for  some  time;  he  then  knocked 
again  pretty  loudly,  upon  which  the  door  was  half- 
opened.  At  the  sight  of  the  Ambassador  and  his 
suite,  the  person  who  opened  it  immediately  closed  it 
again,  exclaiming  that  they  had  made  a  mistake.  The 
Ambassador  pushed  hard  against  him,  forced  his  way 
in,  made  a  sign  to  his  people  to  wait  outside,  and 
remained  in  the  room.  He  saw  before  him  a  very 
handsome  young  man,  whose  appearance  perfectly 
corresponded  with  the  description,  and  a  young 
woman,  of  great  beauty,  and  remarkably  fine  person, 
whose  countenance,  form,  colour  of  the  hair,  etc., 
were  also  precisely  those  described  by  the  Count  of 
Moncade.  The  young  man  spoke  first.  He  com- 
plained of  the  violence  used  in  breaking  into  the 
apartment  of  a  stranger,  living  in  a  free  country,  and 
under  the  protection  of  its  laws.  The  Ambassador 
stepped  forward  to  embrace  him,  and  said,  '  It  is  use- 
less to  feign,  my  dear  Count;  I  know  you,  and  I  do 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR    287 

not  come  here  to  give  pain  to  you  or  to  this  lady, 
whose  appearance  interests  me  extremely.'  The  young 
man  replied  that  he  was  totally  mistaken ;  that  he  was 
not  a  Count,  but  the  son  of  a  merchant  of  Cadiz;  that 
the  lady  was  his  wife;  and,  that  they  were  travelling 
for  pleasure.  The  Ambassador,  casting  his  eyes  round 
the  miserably  furnished  room,  which  contained  but 
one  bed,  and  some  packages  of  the  shabbiest  kind, 
lying  in  disorder  about  the  room,  '  Is  this,  my  dear 
child  (allow  me  to  address  you  by  a  title  which  is 
warranted  by  my  tender  regard  for  your  father),  is 
this  a  fit  residence  for  the  son  of  the  Count  of  Mon- 
cade  ? '  The  young  man  still  protested  against  the 
use  of  any  such  language,  as  addressed  to  him.  At 
length,  overcome  by  the  entreaties  of  the  Ambassador, 
he  confessed,  weeping,  that  he  was  the  son  of  the 
Count  of  Moncade,  but  declared  that  nothing  should 
induce  him  to  return  to  his  father,  if  he  must  abandon 
a  woman  he  adored.  The  young  woman  burst  into 
tears;  and  threw  herself  at  the  feet  of  the  Ambas- 
sador, telling  him  that  she  would  not  be  the  cause  of 
the  ruin  of  the  young  Count;  and  that  generosity,  or 
rather,  love,  would  enable  her  to  disregard  her  own 
happiness,  and,  for  his  sake,  to  separate  herself  from 
him.  The  Ambassador  admired  her  noble  dis- 
interestedness. The  young  -man,  on  the  contrary, 
received  her  declaration  with  the  most  desperate  grief. 
He  reproached  his  mistress,  and  declared  that  he 
would  never  abandon  so  estimable  a  creature,  nor 
suffer  the  sublime  generosity  of  her  heart  to  be  turned 
against  herself.  The  Ambassador  told  him  that  the 
Count  of  Moncade  was  far  from  wishing  to  render 
her  miserable,  and  that  he  was  commissioned  to  pro- 
vide her  with  a  sum  sufficient  to  enable  her  to  return 
into  Spain,  or  to  live  where  she  liked.  Her  noble 
sentiments,  and  genuine  tenderness,  he  said,  inspired 


288  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

him  with  the  greatest  interest  for  her,  and  would 
induce  him  to  go  to  the  utmost  limits  of  his  powers, 
in  the  sum  he  was  to  give  her;  that  he,  therefore, 
promised  her  ten  thousand  florins,  that  is  to  say,  about 
twelve  hundred  louis,  which  would  be  given  her  the 
moment  she  surrendered  the  promise  of  marriage  she 
had  received,  and  the  Count  of  Moncade  took  up  his 
abode  in  the  Ambassador's  house,  and  promised  to 
return  to  Spain.  The  young  woman  seemed  perfectly 
indifferent  to  the  sum  proposed,  and  wholly  absorbed 
in  her  lover,  and  in  the  grief  of  leaving  him.  She 
seemed  insensible  to  everything  but  the  cruel  sacrifice 
which  her  reason,  and  her  love  itself,  demanded.  At 
length,  drawing  from  a  little  portfolio  the  promise  of 
marriage,  signed  by  the  Count,  '  I  know  his  heart 
too  well/  said  she,  '  to  need  it.'  Then  she  kissed  it 
again  and  again,  with  a  sort  of  transport,  and  deliv- 
ered it  to  the  Ambassador,  who  stood  by,  astonished 
at  the  grandeur  of  soul  he  witnessed.  He  promised 
her  that  he  would  never  cease  to  take  the  liveliest 
interest  in  her  fate,  and  assured  the  Count  of  his 
father's  forgiveness.  '  He  will  receive  with  open 
arms,'  said  he,  '  the  prodigal  son,  returning  to  the 
bosom  of  his  distressed  family;  the  heart  of  a  father 
is  an  exhaustless  mine  of  tenderness.  How  great  will 
be  the  felicity  of  my  friend  on  the  receipt  of  these 
tidings,  after  his  long  anxiety  and  affliction;  how 
happy  do  I  esteem  myself,  at  being  the  instrument  of 
that  felicity ! '  Such  was,  in  part,  the  language  of  the 
Ambassador,  which  appeared  to  produce  a  strong 
impression  on  the  young  man.  But,  fearing  lest,  dur- 
ing the  night,  love  should  regain  all  his  power, 
and  should  triumph  over  the  generous  resolution  of 
the  lady,  the  Marquis  pressed  the  young  Count  to 
accompany  him  to  his  hotel.  The  tears,  the  cries  of 
anguish,  which  marked  this  cruel  separation,  cannot 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     289 

be  described;  they  deeply  touched  the  heart  of  the 
Ambassador,  who  promised  to  watch  over  the  young 
lady.  The  Count's  little  baggage  was  not  difficult  to 
remove,  and,  that  very  evening,  he  was  installed  in 
the  finest  apartment  of  the  Ambassador's  house.  The 
Marquis  was  overjoyed  at  having  restored  to  the  illus- 
trious house  of  Moncade  the  heir  of  its  greatness,  and 
of  its  magnificent  domains.  On  the  following  morn- 
ing, as  soon  as  the  young  Count  was  up,  he  found 
tailors,  dealers  in  cloth,  lace,  stuffs,  etc.,  out  of  which 
he  had  only  to  choose.  Two  valets  de  chambre,  and 
three  laquais,  chosen  by  the  Ambassador  for  their 
intelligence  and  good  conduct,  were  in  waiting  in  his 
antechamber,  and  presented  themselves,  to  receive  his 
orders.  The  Ambassador  shewed  the  young  Count 
the  letter  he  had  just  written  to  his  father,  in  which 
he  congratulated  him  on  possessing  a  son  whose  noble 
sentiments  and  striking  qualities  were  worthy  of  his 
illustrious  blood,  and  announced  his  speedy  return. 
The  young  lady  was  not  forgotten;  he  confessed  that 
to  her  generosity  he  was  partly  indebted  for  the  sub- 
mission of  her  lover,  and  expressed  his  conviction  that 
the  Count  would  not  disapprove  the  gift  he  had  made 
her,  of  ten  thousand  florins.  That  sum  was  remitted, 
on  the  same  day,  to  this  noble  and  interesting  girl, 
who  left  the  Hague  without  delay.  The  preparations 
for  the  Count's  journey  were  made;  a  splendid  ward- 
robe and  an  excellent  carriage  were  embarked  at 
Rotterdam,  in  a  ship  bound  for  France,  on  board 
which  a  passage  was  secured  for  the  Count,  who  was 
to  proceed  from  that  country  to  Spain.  A  consider- 
able sum  of  money,  and  letters  of  credit  on  Paris, 
were  given  him  at  his  departure;  and  the  parting 
between  the  Ambassador  and  the  young  Count  was 
most  touching.  The  Marquis  de  St.  Gilles  awaited 
with  impatience  the  Count's  answer,  and  enjoyed  his 


290  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

friend's  delight  by  anticipation.  At  the  expiration 
of  four  months,  he  received  this  long-expected  letter. 
It  would  be  utterly  impossible  to  describe  his  surprise 
on  reading  the  following  words,  '  Heaven,  my  dear 
Marquis,  never  granted  me  the  happiness  of  becoming 
a  father,  and,  in  the  midst  of  abundant  wealth  and 
honours,  the  grief  of  having  no  heirs,  and  seeing  an 
illustrious  race  end  in  my  person,  has  shed  the  greatest 
bitterness  over  my  whole  existence.  I  see,  with  ex- 
treme regret,  that  you  have  been  imposed  upon  by  a 
young  adventurer,  who  has  taken  advantage  of  the 
knowledge  he  had,  by  some  means,  obtained,  of  our 
old  friendship.  But  your  Excellency  must  not  be  the 
sufferer.  The  Count  of  Moncade  is,  most  assuredly, 
the  person  whom  you  wished  to  serve ;  he  is  bound  to 
repay  what  your  generous  friendship  hastened  to  ad- 
vance, in  order  to  procure  him  a  happiness  which  he 
would  have  felt  most  deeply.  I  hope,  therefore,  Mar- 
quis, that  your  Excellency  will  have  no  hesitation  in 
accepting  the  remittance  contained  in  this  letter,  of 
three  thousand  louis  of  France,  of  the  disbursal  of 
which  you  sent  me  an  account.' ' 

The  manner  in  which  the  Comte  de  St.  Germain 
spoke,  in  the  characters  of  the  young  adventurer,  his 
mistress,  and  the  Ambassador,  made  his  audience 
weep  and  laugh  by  turns.  The  story  is  true  in  every 
particular,  and  the  adventurer  surpasses  Gusman 
d'Alfarache  in  address,  according  to  the  report  of 
some  persons  present.  Madame  de  Pompadour 
thought  of  having  a  play  written,  founded  on  this 
story;  and  the  Count  sent  it  to  her  in  writing,  from 
which  I  transcribed  it. 

M.  Duclos  came  to  the  Doctor's,  and  harangued 
with  his  usual  warmth.  I  heard  him  saying  to  two 
or  three  persons,  "  People  are  unjust  to  great  men, 
Ministers  and  Princes;  nothing,  for  instance,  is  more 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     291 

common  than  to  undervalue  their  intellect.  I  aston- 
ished one  of  these  little  gentlemen  of  the  corps  of  the 
infallibles,  by  telling  him  that  I  could  prove  that 
there  had  been  more  men  of  ability  in  the  house  of 
Bourbon,  for  the  last  hundred  years,  than  in  any 
other  family."  "  You  prove  that  ?  "  said  somebody, 
sneeringly.  "  Yes,"  said  Duclos;  "  and  I  will  tell  you 
how.  The  great  Conde,  you  will  allow,  was  no  fool; 
and  the  Duchesse  de  Longueville  is  cited  as  one  of  the 
wittiest  women  that  ever  lived.  The  Regent  was  a 
man  who  had  few  equals,  in  every  kind  of  talent  and 
acquirement.  The  Prince  de  Conti,  who  was  elected 
King  of  Poland,  was  celebrated  for  his  intelligence, 
and,  in  poetry,  was  the  successful  rival  of  La  Fare 
and  St.  Aulaire.  The  Duke  of  Burgundy  was  learned 
and  enlightened.  His  Duchess,  the  daughter  of  Louis 
XIV.,  was  remarkably  clever,  and  wrote  epigrams 
and  couplets.  The  Due  du  Maine  is  generally  spoken 
of  only  for  his  weakness,  but  nobody  had  a  more 
agreeable  wit.  His  wife  was  mad,  but  she  had  an  ex- 
tensive acquaintance  with  letters,  good  taste  in  poetry, 
and  a  brilliant  and  inexhaustible  imagination.  Here 
are  instances  enough,  I  think,"  said  he;  "and,  as  I 
am  no  flatterer,  and  hate  to  appear  one,  I  will  not 
speak  of  the  living."  His  hearers  were  astonished  at 
this  enumeration,  and  all  of  them  agreed  in  the  truth 
of  what  he  had  said.  He  added,  "  Don't  we  daily 
hear  of  silly  D'Argemon,  because  he  has  a  good- 
natured  air,  and  a  bourgeois  tone?  and  yet,  I  believe, 
there  have  not  been  many  Ministers  comparable  to 
him  in  knowledge  and  in  enlightened  views."  I  took 
a  pen,  which  lay  on  the  Doctor's  table,  and  begged 
M.  Duclos  to  repeat  to  me  all  the  names  he  had 
mentioned,  and  the  eulogium  he  had  bestowed  on 
each.  "  If,"  said  he,  "  you  show  that  to  the  Marquise, 
tell  her  how  the  conversation  arose,  and  that  I  did 

Memoirs — 10  VoL  1 


292  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

not  say  it  in  order  that  it  might  come  to  her  ears, 
and  eventually,  perhaps,  to  those  of  another  person. 
I  am  an  historiographer,  and  I  will  render  justice,  but 
I  shall,  also,  often  inflict  it."  "  I  will  answer  for 
that,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  and  our  master  will  be  rep- 
resented as  he  really  is.  Louis  XIV.  liked  verses,  and 
patronised  poets;  that  was  very  well,  perhaps,  in  his 
time,  because  one  must  begin  with  something;  but 
this  age  will  be  very  superior  to  the  last.  It  must 
be  acknowledged  that  Louis  XV.,  in  sending  astrono- 
mers to  Mexico  and  Peru,  to  measure  the  earth,  has  a 
higher  claim  to  our  respect  than  if  he  directed  an 
opera.  He  has  thrown  down  the  barriers  which 
opposed  the  progress  of  philosophy,  in  spite  of  the 
clamour  of  the  devotees:  the  Encyclopaedia  will  do 
honour  to  his  reign."  Duclos,  during  this  speech, 
shook  his  head.  I  went  away,  and  tried  to  write 
down  all  I  had  heard,  while  it  was  fresh.  I  had  the 
part  which  related  to  the  Princes  of  the  Bourbon  race 
copied  by  a  valet,  who  wrote  a  beautiful  hand,  and 
I  gave  it  to  Madame  de  Pompadour.  But  she  said 
to  me,  "What!  is  Duclos  an  acquaintance  of  yours? 
Do  you  want  to  play  the  bel  esprit,  my  dear  good 
woman?  That  will  not  sit  well  upon  you."  The 
truth  is,  that  nothing  can  be  further  from  my 
inclination.  I  told  her  that  I  met  him  accidentally 
at  the  Doctor's,  where  he  generally  spent  an  hour 
when  he  came  to  Versailles.  "  The  King  knows  him 
to  be  a  worthy  man,"  said  she. 

Madame  de  Pompadour  was  ill,  and  the  King  came 
to  see  her  several  times  a  day.  I  generally  left  the 
room  when  he  entered,  but,  having  stayed  a  few 
minutes,  on  one  occasion,  to  give  her  a  glass  of  chic- 
ory water,  I  heard  the  King  mention  Madame  d'Eg- 
mont.  Madame  raised  her  eyes  to  heaven,  and  said, 
"  That  name  always  recalls  to  me  a  most  melancholy 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     293 

and  barbarous  affair;  but  it  was  not  my  fault." 
These  words  dwelt  in  my  mind,  and,  particularly, 
the  tone  in  which  they  were  uttered.  As  I  stayed 
with  Madame  till  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  read- 
ing to  her  a  part  of  the  time,  it  was  easy  for  me 
to  try  to  satisfy  my  curiosity.  I  seized  a  moment, 
when  the  reading  was  interrupted,  to  say,  "  You 
looked  dreadfully  shocked,  Madame,  when  the  King 
pronounced  the  name  of  D'Egmont."  At  these 
words,  she  again  raised  her  eyes,  and  said,  "  You 
would  feel  as  I  do,  if  you  knew  the  affair."  "  It 
must,  then,  be  deeply  affecting,  for  I  do  not  think 
that  it  personally  concerns  you,  Madame."  "  No," 
said  she,  "  it  does  not ;  as,  however,  I  am  not  the 
only  person  acquainted  with  this  history,  and  as  I 
know  you  to  be  discreet,  I  will  tell  it  you.  The  last 
Comte  d'Egmont  married  a  reputed  daughter  of  the 
Due  de  Villars;  but  the  Duchess  had  never  lived  with 
her  husband,  and  the  Comtesse  d'Egmont  is,  in  fact, 
a  daughter  of  the  Chevalier  d'Orleans.  At  the  death 
of  her  husband,  young,  beautiful,  agreeable,  and 
heiress  to  an  immense  fortune,  she  attracted  the  suit 
and  homage  of  all  the  most  distinguished  men  at 
Court.  Her  mother's  director,  one  day,  came  into 
her  room  and  requested  a  private  interview;  he  then 
revealed  to  her  that  she  was  the  offspring  of  an 
adulterous  intercourse,  for  which  her  mother  had  been 
doing  penance  for  five-and-twenty  years.  '  She  could 
not,'  said  he,  '  oppose  your  former  marriage,  although 
it  caused  her  extreme  distress.  Heaven  did  not  grant 
you  children;  but,  if  you  marry  again,  you  run  the 
risk,  Madame,  of  transmitting  to  another  family  the 
immense  wealth,  which  does  not,  in  fact,  belong  to 
you,  and  which  is  the  price  of  crime/ 

"  The  Comtesse  d'Egmont  heard  this  recital  with 
horror.       At  the  same  instant,  her  mother  entered, 


294         .    MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

and,  on  her  knees,  besought  her  daughter  to  avert 
her  eternal  damnation.  Madame  d'Egmont  tried  to 
calm  her  own  and  her  mother's  mind.  '  What  can  I 
do?'  said  she,  to  her.  'Consecrate  yourself  wholly 
to  God,'  replied  the  director,  '  and  thus  expiate  your 
mother's  crime.'  The  Countess,  in  her  terror,  prom- 
ised whatever  they  asked,  and  proposed  to  enter  the 
Carmelites.  I  was  informed  of  it,  and  spoke  to  the 
King  about  the  barbarous  tyranny  the  Duchesse  de 
Villars  and  the  director  were  about  to  exercise  over 
this  unhappy  young  woman;  but  we  knew  not  how 
to  prevent  it.  The  King,  with  the  utmost  kindness, 
prevailed  on  the  Queen  to  offer  her  the  situation  of 
Lady  of  the  Palace,  and  desired  the  Duchess's  friends 
to  persuade  her  to  endeavour  to  deter  her  daughter 
from  becoming  a  Carmelite.  It  was  all  in  vain;  the 
wretched  victim  was  sacrificed." 

Madame  took  it  into  her  head  to  consult  a  fortune- 
teller, called  Madame  Bontemps,  who  had  told  M.  de 
Bernis's  fortune,  as  I  have  already  related,  and  had 
surprised  him  by  her  predictions.  M.  de  Choiseul, 
to  whom  she  mentioned  the  matter,  said  that  the 
woman  had  also  foretold  fine  things  that  were  to  hap- 
pen to  him.  "  I  know  it,"  said  she,  "  and,  in  return, 
you  promised  her  a  carriage,  but  the  poor  woman  goes 
on  foot  still."  Madame  told  me  this,  and  asked  me 
how  she  could  disguise  herself,  so  as  to  see  the  woman 
without  being  known.  I  dared  not  propose  any 
scheme  then,  for  fear  it  should  not  succeed;  but,  two 
days  after,  I  talked  to  her  surgeon  about  the  art, 
which  some  beggars  practise,  of  counterfeiting  sores, 
and  altering  their  features.  He  said  that  was  easy 
enough.  I  let  the  thing  drop,  and,  after  an  interval 
of  some  minutes,  I  said,  "If  one  could  change  one's 
features,  one  might  have  great  diversion  at  the  opera, 
or  at  balls.  What  alterations  would  it  be  necessary 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     295 

to  make  in  me,  now,  to  render  it  impossible  to  recog- 
nise me  ?  "  "  In  the  first  place,"  said  he,  "  you  must 
alter  the  colour  of  your  hair,  then  you  must  have  a 
false  nose,  and  put  a  spot  on  some  part  of  your  face, 
or  a  wart,  or  a  few  hairs."  I  laughed,  and  said, 
"Help  me  to  contrive  this  for  the  next  ball;  I  have 
not  been  to  one  for  twenty  years;  but  I  am  dying  to 
puzzle  somebody,  and  to  tell  him  things  which  no  one 
but  I  can  tell  him.  I  shall  come  home,  and  go  to  bed, 
in  a  quarter  of  an  hour."  "  I  must  take  the  measure 
of  your  nose,"  said  he ;  "  or  do  you  take  it  with  wax, 
and  I  will  have  a  nose  made :  you  can  get  a  flaxen 
or  brown  wig."  I  repeated  to  Madame  what  the 
surgeon  had  told  me :  she  was  delighted  at  it.  I  took 
the  measure  of  her  nose,  and  of  my  own,  and  carried 
them  to  the  surgeon,  who,  in  two  days,  gave  me  the 
two  noses,  and  a  wart,  which  Madame  stuck  under 
her  left  eye,  and  some  paint  for  the  eyebrows.  The 
noses  were  most  delicately  made,  of  a  bladder,  I  think, 
and  these,  with  the  other  disguises,  rendered  it  impos- 
sible to  recognize  the  face,  and  yet  did  not  pro- 
duce any  shocking  appearance.  All  this  being  ac- 
complished, nothing  remained  but  to  give  notice  to  the 
fortune-teller;  we  waited  for  a  little  excursion  to 
Paris,  which  Madame  was  to  take,  to  look  at  her 
house.  I  then  got  a  person,  with  whom  I  had  no  con- 
nection, to  speak  to  a  waiting-woman  of  the  Duchesse 
de  Ruffec,  to  obtain  an  interview  with  the  woman. 
She  made  some  difficulty,  on  account  of  the  Police ;  but 
we  promised  secrecy,  and  appointed  the  place  of  meet- 
ing. Nothing  could  be  more  contrary  to  Madame  de 
Pompadour's  character,  which  was  one  of  extreme 
timidity,  than  to  engage  in  such  an  adventure.  But 
her  curiosity  was  raised  to  the  highest  pitch,  and, 
moreover,  everything  was  so  well  arranged  that  there 
was  not  the  slightest  risk.  Madame  had  let  M.  de 


296  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

Gontaut,  and  her  valet  de  chambre,  into  the  secret. 
The  latter  had  hired  two  rooms  for  his  niece,  who 
was  then  ill,  at  Versailles,  near  Madame's  hotel.  We 
went  out  in  the  evening,  followed  by  the  valet  de 
chambre,  who  was  a  safe  man,  and  by  the  Duke,  all 
on  foot.  We  had  not,  at  farthest,  above  two  hundred 
steps  to  go.  We  were  shown  into  two  small  rooms, 
in  which  were  fires.  The  two  men  remained  in  one, 
and  we  in  the  other.  Madame  had  thrown  herself  on 
a  sofa.  She  had  on  a  night-cap,  which  concealed 
half  her  face,  in  an  unstudied  manner.  I  was  near 
the  fire,  leaning  on  a  table,  on  which  were  two  can- 
dles. There  were  lying  on  the  chairs,  near  us,  some 
clothes,  of  small  value.  The  fortune-teller  rang — a 
little  servant-girl  let  her  in,  and  then  went  to  wait  in 
the  room  where  the  gentlemen  were.  Coffee-cups, 
and  a  coffee-pot,  were  set;  and  I  had  taken  care  to 
place,  upon  a  little  buffet,  some  cakes,  and  a  bottle 
of  Malaga  wine,  having  heard  that  Madame  Bontemps 
assisted  her  inspiration  with  that  liquor.  Her  face, 
indeed,  sufficiently  proclaimed  it.  "  Is  that  lady  ill  ?  " 
said  she,  seeing  Madame  de  Pompadour  stretched 
languidly  on  the  sofa.  I  told  her  that  she  would 
soon  be  better,  but  that  she  had  kept  her  room  for  a 
week.  She  heated  the  coffee,  and  prepared  the  two 
cups,  which  she  carefully  wiped,  observing  that  noth- 
ing impure  must  enter  into  this  operation.  I  affected 
to  be  very  anxious  for  a  glass  of  wine,  in  order  to 
give  our  oracle  a  pretext  for  assuaging  her  thirst, 
which  she  did,  without  much  entreaty.  When  she  had 
drunk  two  or  three  small  glasses  (for  I  had  taken 
care  not  to  have  large  ones),  she  poured  the  coffee 
into  one  of  the  two  large  cups.  "  This  is  yours,"  said 
she ;  "  and  this  is  your  friend's ;  let  them  stand  a 
little."  She  then  observed  our  hands  and  our  faces; 
after  which  she  drew  a  looking-glass  from  her  pocket, 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR 

into  which  she  told  us  to  look,  while  she  looked  at 
the  reflections  of  our  faces.  She  next  took  a  glass  of 
wine,  and  immediately  threw  herself  into  a  fit  of  en- 
thusiasm, while  she  inspected  my  cup,  and  consid- 
ered all  the  lines  formed  by  the  dregs  of  the  coffee 
she  had  poured  out.  She  began  by  saying,  "  That  is 
well — prosperity — but  there  is  a  black  mark — dis- 
tresses. A  man  becomes  a  comforter.  Here,  in  this 
corner,  are  friends,  who  support  you.  Ah!  who  is  he 
that  persecutes  them?  But  justice  triumphs — after 
rain,  sunshine — a  long  journey  successful.  There,  do 
you  see  these  little  bags?  That  is  money  which  has 
been  paid — to  you,  of  course,  I  mean.  That  is  well. 
Do  you  see  that  arm?"  "  Yes."  "  That  is  an  arm 
supporting  something:  a  woman  veiled;  I  see  her;  it 
is  you.  All  this  is  clear  to  me.  I  hear,  as  it  were,  a 
voice  speaking  to  me.  You  are  no  longer  attacked.  I 
see  it,  because  the  clouds  in  that  direction  are  passed 
off  (pointing  to  a  clearer  spot).  But,  stay — /  see 
small  lines  which  branch  out  from  the  main  spot. 
These  are  sons,  daughters,  nephews — that  is  pretty 
well."  She  appeared  overpowered  with  the  effort  she 
was  making.  At  length,  she  added,  "  That  is  all. 
You  have  had  good  luck  first — misfortune  afterward. 
You  have  had  a  friend,  who  has  exerted  himself  with 
success  to  extricate  you  from  it.  You  have  had  law- 
suits— at  length  fortune  has  been  reconciled  to  you, 
and  will  change  no  more."  She  drank  another  glass 
of  wine.  "  Your  health,  Madame,"  said  she  to  the 
Marquise,  and  went  through  the  same  ceremonies 
with  the  cup.  At  length,  she  broke  out,  "  Neither 
fair  nor  foul.  I  see  there,  in  th&  distance,  a  serene 
sky;  and  then  all  these  things  that  appear  to  ascend — 
all  these  things  are  applauses.  Here  is  a  grave  man, 
who  stretches  out  his  arms.  Do  you  see? — look  at- 
tentively." "That  is  true"  said  Madame  de  Pom- 


298  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

padour,  with  surprise  (there  was,  indeed,  some  ap- 
pearance of  the  kind).  "He  points  to  something 
square — th^t  is  an  open  coffer. — Fine  weather. — But, 
look!  there  are  clouds  of  azure  and  gold,  which  sur- 
round you.  Do  you  see  that  ship  on  the  high  sea? 
'How  favourable  the  wind  is!  You  are  on  board;  you 
land  in  a  beautiful  country,  of  which  you  become  the 
Queen.  Ah!  what  do  I  see?  Look  there — look  at 
that  hideous,  crooked,  lame  man,  who  is  pursuing  you 
— but  he  is  going  on  a  fool's  errand.  I  see  a  very 
great  man,  who  supports  you  in  his  arms.  Here,  look! 
he  is  a  kind  of  giant.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  gold 
and  silver — a  few  clouds  here  and  there.  But  you 
have  nothing  to  fear.  The  vessel  will  be  sometimes 
tossed  about,  but  it  will  not  be  lost.  Dixv."  Madame 
said,  "  When  shall  I  die,  and  of  what  disease?  "  "  I 
never  speak  of  that,"  said  she;  "see  here,  rather — 
but  fate  will  not  permit  it.  I  will  shew  you  how 
fate  confounds  everything " — shewing  her  several 
confused  lumps  of  the  coffee-dregs.  "  Well,  never 
mind  as  to  the  time,  then,  only  tell  me  the  kind  of 
death."  The  fortune-teller  looked  in  the  cup,  and 
said,  ""  You  will  have  time  to  prepare  yourself."  I 
gave  her  only  two  louis,  to  avoid  doing  anything  re- 
markable. She  left  us,  after  begging  us  to  keep  her 
secret,  and  we  rejoined  the  Due  de  Gontaut,  to  whom 
we  related  everything  that  had  passed.  He  laughed 
heartily,  and  said,  "  Her  coffee-dregs  are  like  the 
clouds — you  may  see  what  you  please  in  them." 

There  was  one  thing  in  my  horoscope  which  struck 
me,  that  was  the  comforter;  because  one  of  my  uncles 
had  taken  great  care  of  me,  and  had  rendered  me 
the  most  essential  services.  It  is  also  true  that  I 
afterwards  had  an  important  lawsuit ;  and,  lastly,  there 
was  the  money  which  had  come  into  my  hands  through 
Madame  de  Pompadour's  patronage  and  bounty.  As 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     299 

for  Madame,  her  husband  was  represented  accurately 
enough  by  the  man  with  the  coffer;  then  the  country 
of  which  she  became  Queen  seemed  to  relate  to  her 
present  situation  at  Court;  but  the  most  remarkable 
thing  was  the  crooked  and  lame  man,  in  whom  Ma- 
dame thought  she  recognized  the  Due  de  V ,  who 

was  very  much  deformed.  Madame  was  delighted 
with  her  adventure  and  her  horoscope,  which  she 
thought  corresponded  very  remarkably  with  the  truth. 
Two  days  after,  she  sent  for  M.  de  St.  Florentin, 
and  begged  him  not  to  molest  the  fortune-teller.  He 
laughed,  and  replied  that  he  knew  why  she  interceded 
for  this  woman.  Madame  asked  him  why  he  laughed. 
He  related  every  circumstance  of  her  expedition  with 
astonishing  exactness;  but  he  knew  nothing  of  what 
had  been  said,  or,  at  least,  so  he  pretended.  He  prom- 
ised Madame  that,  provided  Bontemps  did  nothing 
which  called  for  notice,  she  should  not  be  obstructed 
in  the  exercise  of  her  profession,  especially  if  she  fol- 
lowed it  in  secret.  "  I  know  her,"  added  he,  "  and  I, 
like  other  people,  have  had  the  curiosity  to  consult 
her.  She  is  the  wife  of  a  soldier  in  the  guards.  She 
is  a  clever  woman  in  her  way,  but  she  drinks.  Four 
or  five  years  ago,  she  got  such  hold  on  the  mind  of 
Madame  de  Ruffec,  that  she  made  her  believe  she 
could  procure  her  an  elixir  of  beauty,  which  would 
restore  her  to  what  she  was  at  twenty-five.  The 
Duchess  pays  high  for  the  drugs  of  which  this  elixir  is 
compounded;  and  sometimes  they  are  bad:  sometimes, 
the  sun,  to  which  they  were  exposed,  was  not  power- 
ful enough;  sometimes,  the  influence  of  a  certain  con- 
stellation was  wanting.  Sometimes,  she  has  the  cour- 
age to  assure  the  Duchess  that  she  really  is  grown 
handsomer,  and  actually  succeeds  in  making  her  be- 
lieve it."  But  the  history  of  this  woman's  daughter 
is  still  more  curious.  She  was  exquisitely  beautiful, 


300  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

and  the  Duchess  brought  her  up  in  her  own  house. 
Bontemps  predicted  to  the  girl,  in  the  Duchess's  pres- 
ence, that  she  would  marry  a  man  of  two  thousand 
louis  a  year.  This  was  not  very  likely  to  happen  to 
the  daughter  of  a  soldier  in  the  guards.  It  did  hap- 
pen, nevertheless.  The  little  Bontemps  married  the 
President  Beaudouin,  who  was  mad.  But,  the  tragical 
part  of  the  story  is,  that  her  mother  had  also  foretold 
that  she  would  die  in  child-birth  of  her  first  child,  and 
that  she  did  actually  die  in  child-birth,  at  the  age  of 
eighteen,  doubtless  under  a  strong  impression  of  her 
mother's  prophecy,  to  which  the  improbable  event  of 
her  marriage  had  given  such  extraordinary  weight. 
Madame  told  the  King  of  the  adventure  her  curiosity 
had  led  her  into,  at  which  he  laughed,  and  said  he 
wished  the  Police  had  arrested  her.  He  added  a 
very  sensible  remark.  "  In  order  to  judge,"  said  he, 
"  of  the  truth  or  falsehood  of  such  predictions,  one 
ought  to  collect  fifty  of  them.  It  would  be  found  that 
they  are  almost  always  made  up  of  the  same  phrases, 
which  are  sometimes  inapplicable,  and  sometimes  hit 
the  mark.  But  the  first  are  rarely  mentioned,  while 
the  others  are  always  insisted  on." 

I  have  heard,  and,  indeed,  it  is  certainly  true,  that 
M.  de  Bridge  lived  on  terms  of  intimacy  with  Madame, 
when  she  was  Madame  d'Etioles.  He  used  to  ride  on 
horseback  with  her,  and,  as  he  is  so  handsome  a  man 
that  he  has  retained  the  name  of  the  handsome  man, 
it  was  natural  enough  that  he  should  be  thought 
the  lover  of  a  very  handsome  woman.  I  have  heard 
something  more  than  this.  I  was  told  that  the  King 
said  to  M.  de  Bridge,  "  Confess,  now,  that  you  were 
her  lover.  She  has  acknowledged  it  to  me,  and  I 
exact  from  you  this  proof  of  sincerity."  M.  de 
Bridge  replied,  that  Madame  de  Pompadour  was  at 
liberty  to  say  what  she  pleased  for  her  own  amuse- 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     301 

ment,  or  for  any  other  reason;  but  that  he,  for  his 
part,  could  not  assert  a  falsehood;  that  he  had  been 
her  friend;  that  she  was  a  charming  companion,  and 
had  great  talents;  that  he  delighted  in  her  society; 
but  that  his  intercourse  with  her  had  never  gone  be- 
yond the  bounds  of  friendship.  He  added,  that  her 
husband  was  present  in  all  their  parties,  that  he 
watched  her  with  a  jealous  eye,  and  that  he  would 
not  have  suffered  him  to  be  so  much  with  her  if  he 
had  conceived  the  least  suspicion  of  the  kind.  The 
King  persisted,  and  told  him  he  was  wrong  to 
endeavour  to  conceal  a  fact  which  was  unquestionable. 
It  was  rumoured,  also,  that  the  Abbe  de  Bernis  had 
been  a  favoured  lover  of  hers.  The  said  Abbe  was 
rather  a  coxcomb ;  he  had  a  handsome  face,  and  wrote 
poetry.  Madame  de  Pompadour  was  the  theme  of 
his  gallant  verses.  He  sometimes  received  the  com- 
pliments of  his  friends  upon  his  success  with  a  smile 
which  left  some  room  for  conjecture,  although  he 
denied  the  thing  in  words.  It  was,  for  some  time, 
reported  at  Court  that  she  was  in  love  with  the  Prince 
de  Beauvau :  he  is  a  man  distinguished  for  his  gal- 
lantries, his  air  of  rank  and  fashion,  and  his  high 
play;  he  is  brother  to  the  little  Marechale:  for  all 
these  reasons,  Madame  is  very  civil  to  him,  but  there 
is  nothing  marked  in  her  behaviour.  She  knows,  be- 
sides, that  he  is  in  love  with  a  very  agreeable  woman. 
Now  that  I  am  on  the  subject  of  lovers,  I  cannot 
avoid  speaking  of  M.  de  Choiseul.  Madame  likes  him 
better  than  any  of  those  I  have  just  mentioned,  but  he 
is  not  her  lover.  A  lady,  whom  I  know  perfectly 
well,  but  whom  I  do  not  choose  to  denounce  to  Ma- 
dame, invented  a  story  about  them,  which  was  ut- 
terly false.  She  said,  as  I  have  good  reason  to  be- 
lieve, that  one  day,  hearing  the  King  coming,  I  ran 
to  Madame's  closet  door;  that  I  coughed  in  a  partic- 


302  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

ular  manner;  and  that  the  King  having,  happily, 
stopped  a  moment  to  talk  to  some  ladies,  there  was 
time  to  adjust  matters,  so  that  Madame  came  out  of 
the  closet  with  me  and  M.  de  Choiseul,  as  if  we  had 
been  all  three  sitting  together.  It  is  very  true  that  I 
went  in  to  carry  something  to  Madame,  without  know- 
ing that  the  King  was  come,  and  that  she  came  out 
of  the  closet  with  M.  de  Choiseul,  who  had  a  paper 
in  his  hand,  and  that  I  followed  her  a  few  minutes 
after.  The  King  asked  M.  de  Choiseul  what  that 
paper  was  which  he  had  in  his  hand.  He  replied  that 
it  contained  the  remonstrance  from  the  Parliament. 
Three  or  four  ladies  witnessed  what  I  now  relate, 
and  as,  with  the  exception  of  one,  they  were  all  excel- 
lent women,  and  greatly  attached  to  Madame,  my  sus- 
picions could  fall  on  none  but  the  one  in  question, 
whom  I  will  not  name,  because  her  brother  has  al- 
ways treated  me  with  great  kindness.  Madame  de 
Pompadour  had  a  lively  imagination  and  great  sensi- 
bility, but  nothing  could  exceed  the  coldness  of  her 
temperament.  It  would,  besides,  have  been  extremely 
difficult  for  her,  surrounded  as  she  was,  to  keep  up 
an  intercourse  of  that  kind  with  any  man.  It  is  true 
that  this  difficulty  would  have  been  diminished  in  the 
case  of  an  all-powerful  Minister,  who  had  constant 
pretexts  for  seeing  her  in  private.  But  there  was  a 
much  more  decisive  fact — M.  de  Choiseul  had  a 
charming  mistress — the  Princesse  de  R ,  and  Ma- 
dame knew  it,  and  often  spoke  of  her.  He  had,  be- 
sides, some  remains  of  liking  for  the  Princesse  de 
Kinski,  who  followed  him  from  Vienna.  It  is  true 
that  he  soon  after  discovered  how  ridiculous  she  was. 
All  these  circumstances  combined  were,  surely, 
sufficient  to  deter  Madame  from  engaging  in  a  love 
affair  with  the  Duke;  but  his  talents  and  agreeable 
qualities  captivated  her.  He  was  not  handsome,  but 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     303 

he  had  manners  peculiar  to  himself,  an  agreeable 
vivacity,  a  delightful  gaiety;  this  was  the  general 
opinion  of  his  character.  He  was  much  attached  to 
Madame,  and  though  this  might,  at  first,  be  inspired 
by  a  consciousness  of  the  importance  of  her  friend- 
ship to  his  interest,  yet,  after  he  had  acquired  suf- 
ficient political  strength  to  stand  alone,  he  was  not 
the  less  devoted  to  her,  nor  less  assiduous  in  his  at- 
tentions. He  knew  her  friendship  for  me,  and  he  one 
day  said  to  me,  with  great  feeling,  "  I  am  afraid,  my 
dear  Madame  du  Hausset,  that  she  will  sink  into  a 
state  of  complete  dejection,  and  die  of  melancholy. 
Try  to  divert  her."  What  a  fate  for  the  favourite 
of  the  greatest  monarch  in  existence !  thought  I. 

One  day,  Madame  de  Pompadour  had  retired  to 
her  closet  with  M.  Berryer.  Madame  d'Amblimont 
stayed  with  Madame  de  Gontaut,  who  called  me  to 
talk  about  my  son.  A  moment  after,  M.  de  Gontaut 
came  in  and  said,  "  D'Amblimont,  who  shall  have  the 
Swiss  guards  ?  "  "  Stop  a  moment,"  said  she ;  "  let 

me  call  my  council ,  M.  de  Choiseul."     "  That  is 

not  so  very  bad  a  thought,"  said  M.  de  Gontaut,  "  but 
I  assure  you,  you  are  the  first  person  who  has  sug- 
gested it."  He  immediately  left  us,  and  Madame 
d'Amblimont  said,  "  I'll  lay  a  wager  he  is  going  to 
communicate  my  idea  to  M.  de  Choiseul."  He  re- 
turned very  shortly,  and,  M.  Berryer  having  left  the 
room,  he  said  to  Madame  de  Pompadour,  "  A  singular 
thought  has  entered  d'Amblimont's  head."  "  What 
absurdity  now  ?  "  said  Madame.  "  Not  so  great  an 
absurdity  neither,"  said  he.  "  She  says  the  Swiss 
guards  ought  to  be  given  to  M.  de  Choiseul,  and, 
really,  if  the  King  has  not  positively  promised  M.  de 
Soubise,  I  don't  see  what  he  can  do  better."  "  The 
King  has  promised  nothing,"  said  Madame,  "  and  the 
hopes  I  gave  him  were  of  the  vaguest  kind.  I  only 


304  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

told  him  it  was  possible.  But  though  I  have  a  great 
regard  for  M.  de  Soubise,  I  do  not  think  his  merits 
comparable  to  those  of  M.  de  Choiseul."  When  the 
King  came  in,  Madame,  doubtless,  told  him  of  this 
suggestion.  A  quarter  of  an  hour  afterwards,  I  went 
into  the  room  to  speak  to  her,  and  I  heard  the  King 
say,  "  You  will  see  that,  because  the  Due  du  Maine, 
and  his  children,  had  that  place,  he  will  think  he 
ought  to  have  it,  on  account  of  his  rank  as  Prince 
(Soubise)  ;  but  the  Marechal  de  Bassompierre  was 
not  a  Prince;  and,  by  the  bye,  the  Due  de  Choiseul  is 
for  him  to  be.  Her  name  was  Romans.  She  was 
Majesty  is  better  acquainted  with  the  history  of  France 
than  anybody,"  replied  Madame.  Two  days  after 

this,  Madame  de said  to  me,  "  I  have  two  great 

delights;  M.  de  Soubise  will  not  have  the  Swiss  guards, 
and  Madame  de  Marsan  will  be  ready  to  burst  with 
rage  at  it ;  this  is  the  first :  and  M.  de  Choiseul  will  have 
them;  this  is  the  greatest." 

There  was  a  universal  talk  of  a  young  lady  with 
whom  the  King  was  as  much  in  love  as  it  was  possible 
for  him  to  be.  Her  name  was  Romans.  She  was 
said  to  be  a  charming  girl.  Madame  de  Pompadour 
knew  of  the  King's  visits,  and  her  confidantes  brought 
her  most  alarming  reports  of  the  affair.  The  Mare- 
chale  de  Mirepoix,  who  had  the  best  head  in  Madame's 
council,  was  the  only  one  who  encouraged  her.  "  I 
do  not  tell  you,"  said  she,  "  that  he  loves  you  better 
than  her;  and  if  she  could  be  transported  hither  by 
the  stroke  of  a  fairy's  wand ;  if  she  could  entertain  him 
this  evening  at  supper;  if  she  were  familiar  with  all  his 
tastes,  there  would,  perhaps,  be  sufficient  reason  for 
you  to  tremble  for  your  power.  But  Princes  are, 
above  all,  pre-eminently  the  slaves  of  habit.  The 
King's  attachment  to  you  is  like  that  he  bears  to  your 
apartment,  your  furniture.  You  have  formed  your- 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     305 

self  to  his  manners  and  habits;  you  know  how  to  listen 
and  reply  to  his  stories;  he  is  under  no  constraint 
with  you;  he  has  no  fear  of  boring  you.  How  do  you 
think  he  could  have  resolution  to  uproot  all  this  in  a 
day,  to  form  a  new  establishment,  and  to  make  a  pub- 
lic exhibition  of  himself  by  so  striking  a  change  in 
his  arrangements?"  The  young  lady  became  preg- 
nant; the  reports  current  among  the  people,  and  even 
those  at  Court,  alarmed  Madame  dreadfully.  It  was 
said  that  the  King  meant  to  legitimate  the  child,  and  to 
give  the  mother  a  title.  "  All  that,"  said  Madame  de 
Mirepoix,  "  is  in  the  style  of  Louis  XIV. — such  dig- 
nified proceedings  are  very  unlike  those  of  our  mas- 
ter." Mademoiselle  Romans  lost  all  her  influence  over 
the  King  by  her  indiscreet  boasting.  She  was  even 
treated  with  harshness  and  violence,  which  were  in  no 
degree  instigated  by  Madame.  Her  house  was 
searched,  and  her  papers  seized;  but  the  most  im- 
portant, those  which  substantiated  the  fact  of  the 
King's  paternity,  had  been  withdrawn.  At  length  she 
gave  birth  to  a  son,  who  was  christened  under  the 
name  of  Bourbon,  son  of  Charles  de  Bourbon,  Cap- 
tain of  Horse.  The  mother  thought  the  eyes  of  all 
France  were  fixed  upon  her,  and  beheld  in  her  son  a 
future  Due  du  Maine.  She  suckled  him  herself,  and 
she  used  to  carry  him  in  a  sort  of  basket  to  the  Bois  de 
Boulogne.  Both  mother  and  child  were  covered  with 
the  finest  laces.  She  sat  down  upon  the  grass  in  a 
solitary  spot,  which,  however,  was  soon  well  known, 
and  there  gave  suck  to  her  royal  babe.  Madame  had 
great  curiosity  to  see  her,  and  took  me,  one  day,  to  the 
manufactory  at  Sevres,  without  telling  me  what  she 
projected.  After  she  had  bought  some  cups,  she  said, 
"  I  want  to  go  and  walk  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne," 
and  gave  orders  to  the  coachman  to  stop  at  a  certain 
spot  where  she  wished  to  alight.  She  had  got  the 


306  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV, 

most  accurate  directions,  and  when  she  drew  near  the 
young  lady's  haunt  she  gave  me  her  arm,  drew  her 
bonnet  over  her  eyes,  and  held  her  pocket-handkerchief 
before  the  lower  part  of  her  face.  We  walked,  for 
some  minutes,  in  a  path,  from  whence  we  could  see 
the  lady  suckling  her  child.  Her  jet  black  hair  was 
turned  up,  and  confined  by  a  diamond  comb.  She 
looked  earnestly  at  us.  Madame  bowed  to  her,  and 
whispered  to  me,  pushing  me  by  the  elbow,  "  Speak 
to  her."  I  stepped  forward,  and  exclaimed,  "  What 
a  lovely  child ! "  "  Yes,  Madame,"  replied  she,  "  I 
must  confess  that  he  is,  though  I  am  his  mother." 
Madame,  who  had  hold  of  my  arm,  trembled,  and  I 
was  not  very  firm.  Mademoiselle  Romans  said  to  me, 
"  Do  you  live  in  this  neighbourhood  ?  "  "  Yes,  Ma- 
dame," replied  I,  "  I  live  at  Auteuil  with  this  lady, 
who  is  just  now  suffering  from  a  most  dreadful  tooth- 
ache." "  I  pity  her  sincerely,  for  I  know  that  tor- 
menting pain  well."  I  looked  all  around,  for  fear  any 
one  should  come  up  who  might  recognise  us.  I  took 
courage  to  ask  her  whether  the  child's  father  was  a 
handsome  man.  "  Very  handsome,  and,  if  I  told  you 
his  name,  you  would  agree  with  me."  "  I  have  the 
honour  of  knowing  him,  then,  Madame?"  "Most 
probably  you  do."  Madame,  fearing,  as  I  did,  some 
rencontre,  said  a  few  words  in  a  low  tone,  apologizing 
for  having  intruded  upon  her,  and  we  took  our  leave. 
We  looked  behind  us,  repeatedly,  to  see  if  we  were 
followed,  and  got  into  the  carriage  without  being  per- 
ceived. "  It  must  be  confessed  that  both  mother  and 
child  are  beautiful  creatures,"  said  Madame — "  not  to 
mention  the  father;  the  infant  has  his  eyes.  If  the 
King  had  come  up  while  we  were  there,  do  you  think 
he  would  have  recognised  us  ?  "  "I  don't  doubt  that 
he  would,  Madame,  and  then  what  an  agitation  I 
should  have  been  in,  and  what  a  scene  it  would  have 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     307 

been  for  the  bystanders !  and,  above  all,  what  a  sur- 
prise to  her ! "  In  the  evening  Madame  made  the 
King  a  present  of  the  cups  she  had  bought,  but  she 
did  not  mention  her  walk,  for  fear  Mademoiselle  Ro- 
mans should  tell  him  that  two  ladies,  who  knew  him, 
had  met  her  there  such  a  day.  Madame  de  Mirepoix 
said  to  Madame,  "  Be  assured,  the  King  cares  very 
little  about  children;  he  has  enough  of  them,  and  he 
will  not  be  troubled  with  the  mother  or  the  son.  See 

what  sort  of  notice  he  takes  of  the  Comte  de  L , 

who  is  strikingly  like  him.  He  never  speaks  of  him, 
and  I  am  convinced  that  he  will  never  do  anything 
for  him.  Again  and  again  I  tell  you,  we  do  not  live 
under  Louis  XIV."  Madame  de  Mirepoix  had  been 
Ambassadress  to  London,  and  had  often  heard  the 
English  make  this  remark. 

Some  alterations  had  been  made  in  Madame  de 
Pompadour's  rooms,  and  I  had  no  longer,  as  hereto- 
fore, the  niche  in  which  I  had  been  permitted  to  sit, 
to  hear  Caffarelli,  and,  in  later  times,  Mademoiselle 
Fel  and  Jeliotte.  I,  therefore,  went  more  frequently 
to  my  lodgings  in  town,  where  I  usually  received  my 
friends:  more  particularly  when  Madame  visited  her 
little  hermitage,  whither  M.  de  Gontaut  commonly  ac- 
companied her.  Madame  du  Chiron,  the  wife  of  the 
Head  Clerk  in  the  War-Office,  came  to  see  me.  "  I 
feel,"  said  she,  "  greatly  embarrassed,  in  speaking  to 
you  about  an  affair,  which  will,  perhaps,  embarrass 
you  also.  This  is  the  state  of  the  case.  A  very  poor 
woman,  to  whom  I  have  sometimes  given  a  little  as- 
sistance, pretends  to  be  a  relation  of  the  Marquise  de 
Pompadour.  Here  is  her  petition."  I  read  it,  and 
said  that  the  woman  had  better  write  directly  to  Ma- 
dame, and  that  I  was  sure,  if  what  she  asserted  was 
true,  her  application  would  be  successful.  Madame 
du  Chiron  followed  my  advice.  The  woman  wrote  she 


308  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

was  in  the  lowest  depth  of  poverty,  and  I  learnt  that 
Madame  sent  her  six  louis  until  she  could  gain  more 
accurate  information  as  to  the  truth  of  her  story. 
Colin,  who  was  commissioned  to  take  the  money,  made 
inquiries  of  M.  de  Malvoisin,  a  relation  of  Madame, 
and  a  very  respectable  officer.  The  fact  was  found 
to  be  as  she  had  stated  it.  Madame  then  sent  her 
a  hundred  louis,  and  promised  her  a  pension  of  sixty 
louis  a  year.  All  this  was  done  with  great  expedition, 
and  Madame  had  a  visit  of  thanks  from  her  poor  re- 
lation, as  soon  as  she  had  procured  decent  clothes  to 
come  in.  That  day  the  King  happened  to  come  in 
at  an  unusual  hour,  and  saw  this  person  going  out. 
He  asked  who  it  was.  "  It  is  a  very  poor  relation  of 
mine,"  replied  Madame.  "  She  came,  then,  to  beg 
for  some  assistance?"  "No,"  said  she.  "What 
did  she  come  for,  then?"  "To  thank  me  for  a 
little  service  I  have  rendered  her,"  said  she,  blushing 
from  the  fear  of  seeming  to  boast  of  her  liberality. 
"  Well,"  said  the  King ;  "  since  she  is  your  relation, 
allow  me  to  have  the  pleasure  of  serving  her  too.  I 
will  give  her  fifty  louis  a  year  out  of  my  private  purse, 
and,  you  know,  she  may  send  for  the  first  year's  al- 
lowance to-morrow."  Madame  burst  into  tears,  and 
kissed  the  King's  hand  several  times.  She  told  me 
this  three  days  afterwards,  when  I  was  nursing  her  in 
a  slight  attack  of  fever.  I  could  not  refrain  from 
weeping  myself  at  this  instance  of  the  King's  kind- 
ness. The  next  day,  I  called  on  Madame  du  Chiron 
to  tell  her  of  the  good  fortune  of  her  protegee;  I 
forgot  to  say  that,  after  Madame  had  related  the  af- 
fair to  me,  I  told  her  what  part  I  had  taken  in  it.  She 
approved  my  conduct,  and  allowed  me  to  inform  my 
friend  of  the  King's  goodness.  This  action,  which 
showed  no  less  delicate  politeness  towards  her  than 
sensibility  to  the  sufferings  of  the  poor  woman,  made 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     309 

a  deeper  impression  on  Madame' s  heart  than  a  pension 
of  two  thousand  a  year  given  to  herself. 

Madame  had  terrible  palpitations  of  the  heart.  Her 
heart  actually  seemed  to  leap.  She  consulted  several 
physicians.  I  recollect  that  one  of  them  made  her 
walk  up  and  down  the  room,  lift  a  weight,  and  move 
quickly.  On  her  expressing  some  surprise,  he  said, 
"  I  do  this  to  ascertain  whether  the  organ  is  diseased ; 
in  that  case  motion  quickens  the  pulsation;  if  that  ef- 
fect is  not  produced,  the  complaint  proceeds  from  the 
nerves."  I  repeated  this  to  my  oracle,  Quesnay.  He 
knew  very  little  of  this  physician,  but  he  said  his 
treatment  was  that  of  a  clever  man.  His  name  was 
Renard;  he  was  scarcely  known  beyond  the  Marais. 
Madame  often  appeared  suffocated,  and  sighed  con- 
tinually. One  day,  under  pretence  of  presenting  a 
petition  to  M.  de  Choiseul,  as  he  was  going  out,  I  said, 
in  a  low  voice,  that  I  wished  to'  see  him  a  few  minutes 
on  an  affair  of  importance  to  my  mistress.  He  told 
me  to  come  as  soon  as  I  pleased,  and  that  I  should  be 
admitted.  I  told  him  that  Madame  was  extremely  de- 
pressed; that  she  gave  way  to  distressing  thoughts, 
which  she  would  not  communicate;  that  she,  one  day, 
said  to  me,  "  The  fortune-teller  told  me  I  should  have 
time  to  prepare  myself;  I  believe  it,  for  I  shall  be  worn 
to  death  by  melancholy."  M.  de  Choiseul  appeared 
much  affected;  he  praised  my  zeal,  and  said  that  he 
had  already  perceived  some  indications  of  what  I  told 
him;  that  he  would  not  mention  my  name,  but  would 
try  to  draw  from  her  an  explanation.  I  don't  know 
what  he  said  to  her ;  but,  from  that  time,  she  was  much 
more  calm.  One  day,  but  long  afterwards,  Madame 
said  to  M.  de  Gontaut,  "  I  am  generally  thought  to 
have  great  influence,  but  if  it  were  not  for  M.  de 
Choiseul,  I  should  not  be  able  to  obtain  a  Cross  of  St. 
Louis." 


310  MEMOIRS  OF  LOUIS  XV. 

The  King  and  Madame  de  Pompadour  had  a  very 
high  opinion  of  Madame  de  Choiseul.  Madame  said, 
"  She  always  says  the  right  thing  in  the  right  place." 
Madame  de  Grammont  was  not  so  agreeable  to  them; 
and  I  think  that  this  was  to  be  attributed,  in  part,  to 
the  sound  of  her  voice,  and  to  her  blunt  manner  of 
speaking;  for  she  was  said  to  be  a  woman  of  great 
sense,  and  devotedly  attached  to  the  King  and  Madame 
de  Pompadour.  Some  people  pretended  that  she  tried 
to  captivate  the '  King,  and  to  supplant  Madame : 
nothing  could  be  more  false,  or  more  ridiculously  im- 
probable. Madame  saw  a  great  deal  of  these  two 
ladies,  who  were  extremely  attentive  to  her.  She  one 
day  remarked  to  the  Due  d'Ayen,  that  M.  de  Choiseul 
was  very  fond  of  his  sisters.  "  I  know  it,  Madame," 
said  he,  "  and  many  sisters  are  the  better  for  that." 
"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  said  she.  "  Why,"  said  he,  "  as 
the  Due  de  Choiseul  loves  his  sister,  it  is  thought  fash- 
ionable to  do  the  same;  and  I  know  silly  girls,  whose 
brothers  formerly  cared  nothing  about  them,  who 
are  now  most  tenderly  beloved.  No  sooner  does  their 
little  finger  ache,  than  their  brothers  are  running  about 
to  fetch  physicians  from  all  corners  of  Paris.  They  flat- 
ter themselves  that  somebody  will  say,  in  M.  de  Choi- 
seul's  drawing-room,  "  How  passionately  M.  de  — — 
loves  his  sister;  he  would  certainly  die  if  he  had  the 
misfortune  to  lose  her."  Madame  related  this  to  her 
brother,  in  my  presence,  adding,  that  she  could  not 
give  it  in  the  Duke's  comic  manner.  M.  de  Marigny 
said,  "  I  have  had  the  start  of  them  all,  without  mak- 
ing so  much  noise;  and  my  dear  little  sister  knows 
that  I  loved  her  tenderly  before  Madame  de  Gram- 
mont left  her  convent.  The  Due  d'Ayen,  however,  is 
not  very  wrong;  he  has  made  the  most  of  it  in  his 
lively  manner,  but  it  is  partly  true."  "  I  forgot," 
replied  Madame,  "  that  the  Duke  said,  '  I  want  ex- 


MEMOIRS  OF  MME.  DE  POMPADOUR     311 

tremely  to  be  in  the  fashion,  but  which  sister  shall  I 
take  up?  Madame  de  Caumont  is  a  devil  incarnate, 
Madame  de  Villars  drinks,  Madame  d'Armagnac  is  a 
bore,  Madame  de  la  Marck  is  half  mad.' '  "  These 
are  fine  family  portraits,  Duke,"  said  Madame.  The 
Due  de  Gontaut  laughed,  during  the  whole  of  this 
conversation,  immoderately.  Madame  repeated  it,  one 

day,  when  she  kept  her  bed.     M.  de  G also  began 

to  talk  of  his  sister,  Madame  du  Roure.  I  think,  at 
least,  that  is  the  name  he  mentioned.  He  was  very 
gay,  and  had  the  art  of  creating  gaiety.  Somebody 
said,  he  is  an  excellent  piece  of  furniture  for  a 
favourite.  He  makes  her  laugh,  and  asks  for  nothing 
either  for  himself  or  for  others;  he  cannot  excite 
jealousy,  and  he  meddles  in  nothing.  He  was  called 
the  White  Eunuch.  Madame's  illness  increased  so 
rapidly  that  we  were  alarmed  about  her;  but  bleeding 
in  the  foot  cured  her  as  if  by  a  miracle.  The  King 
watched  her  with  the  greatest  solicitude;  and  I  don't 
know  whether  his  attentions  did  not  contribute  as 
much  to  the  cure  as  the  bleeding.  M.  de  Choiseul  re- 
marked, some  days  after,  that  she  appeared  in  better 
spirits.  I  told  him  that  I  thought  this  improvement 
might  be  attributed  to  the  same  cause. 


THE    MEMOIRS    OF 
CATHERINE    DE   MEDICI 


BY    THE 
ABBE    BRANTOME 


INTRODUCTION 

THE  figure  of  Catherine  de  Medici  is  remarkable 
in  history  as  being  the  pivotal  point  for  more  contro- 
versy than  has  ever  centred  about  any  other  Queen 
of  France.  Of  Italian  descent,  she  became  the  wife  of 
one  French  monarch,  the  mother  of  three  others,  and 
the  dominant  force  behind  that  glittering  Court  which 
Brantome  eulogises.  Both  of  her  daughters  like- 
wise ascended  thrones, — Elisabeth,  became  the  wife 
of  Philip  II.  of  Spain;  while  Marguerite  (whose 
memoirs  are  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume)  wedded 
Henry  of  Navarre,  the  life-long  rival  of  the  ambitious 
Queen  Mother,  who  was  destined  to  become  Henry 
IV.,  displacing  her  tottering  dynasty. 

Brantome's  tribute  to  this  famous  Queen  will  be  read 
with  great  interest,  but  it  is  unnecessary  to  caution  the 
reader  to  accept  it  cum  grano  sails;  for  Brantome's 
likes  and  dislikes  are  at  all  times  apt  to  run  away  with 
his  historical  judgment.  Says  Louis  Moland  in  an 
introduction  to  the  French  edition  of  the  Abbe's  works : 
"The  admiration  which  he  professes  for  these  grand 
princesses  whom  he  has  the  honour  of  depicting  so 
influences  him  that,  despite  his  notorious  credulity  on 
this  point,  he  shows  them  all,  or  nearly  all,  as  perfectly 
virtuous."  Nevertheless,  his  portraits,  though  coloured 
with  the  most  favourable  tints,  are  of  great  value  as 
portraits  from  life.  "I  saw  it,"  "I  was  there,"  are  his 
favourite  expressions  in  narrating  an  incident. 

The  study  of  Catherine  is  a  typical  example  of  his 

315 


3i6  INTRODUCTION 

work.  He  had  lived  at  her  Court  and  received  many 
favours  at  her  hands.  He  now  sets  himself  the  task  of 
answering  her  calumniators  and  paying  a  tribute  to 
her  memory.  This  spirit  of  chivalry  is  certainly  ad- 
mirable, albeit  the  results  may  show  as  more  partisan 
than  accurate.  It  is  interesting  to  compare  this  with 
Honore  de  Balzac's  more  extended  work,  "Sur  Cathe- 
rine de  Medicis,"  which  is  designated  as  a  romance  but 
is  actually  a  careful  historical  portrait  of  the  Queen. 

Catherine's  whole  life  may  be  said  to  have  combined 
romance  with  history.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Lorenzo  de  Medici,  that  famous  ruler  of  Florence  for 
whom  Machiavelli  wrote  his  "Prince."  Having  been 
left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age,  she  was  sent  to  a  con- 
vent to  be  educated,  but  left  there  at  fourteen  to  be- 
come the  wife  of  the  Dauphin,  afterwards  Henry  II. 
of  France.  Her  royal  father-in-law  was  the  celebrated 
Francis  I.,  the  life-long  rival  of  Henry  VIII.  of  Eng- 
land, on  the  one  hand,  and  the  Emperor  Charles  V., 
on  the  other.  During  his  reign  Catherine  remained 
in  obscurity,  and  was  even  threatened  with  divorce, 
as  for  ten  years  she  remained  childless.  On  hearing 
that  Francis  was  considering  this  decree  for  state  rea- 
sons, she  planned  her  first  bold  stroke.  With  Italian 
finesse  she  made  her  way  to  the  King  at  a  favour- 
able moment,  threw  herself  at  his  feet,  and  expressed 
her  willingness  to  submit  to  the  royal  will.  "Do  with 
me  as  you  choose,  sire,"  she  said;  "let  me  remain  the 
dutiful  wife  of  your  son;  or  if  it  may  please  you  to 
choose  another,  let  me  serve  as  one  of  her  humblest 
attendants."  Her  speech  won  the  heart  of  Francis, 
she  was  reinstated  in  favour,  and  finally  had  the  happi- 
ness of  bringing  him  grandchildren  ere  he  died.  This 
was  one  reason  for  the  great  veneration  in  which 
Catherine  always  held  his  memory,  and  to  which 
Brantome  alludes. 


INTRODUCTION  317 

Indeed,  the  dominant  trait  with  her  throughout  her 
long  life  was  loyalty  to  her  family  and  their  interests, 
— a  loyalty  fine  in  the  abstract,  but  which  was  to  lead 
her  along  many  doubtful  and  devious  ways.  It  caused 
her  to  match  prince  against  prince,  party  against  party, 
religion  against  religion,  until  the  culminating  horror 
of  St.  Bartholomew's  Massacre  was  reached, — charge- 
able directly  to  her,  despite  the  strenuous  denials  of 
Brantome.  Henry  IV.,  the  royal  son-in-law  who  suf- 
fered so  much  at  her  hands,  was  broad-minded  enough 
to  palliate  her  offences  on  the  ground  of  this  family 
loyalty.  Claude  Grouard  quotes  him  as  saying  to  a 
Florentine  ambassador  in  regard  to  Catherine:  "I 
ask  you  what  a  poor  woman  could  do,  left  by  the 
death  of  her  husband,  with  five  little  children  on  her 
arms,  and  two  families  in  France  who  were  thinking 
to  grasp  the  crown, — ours  and  the  Guises.  Was  she 
not  compelled  to  play  strange  parts  to  deceive  first  one 
and  then  the  other,  in  order  to  guard,  as  she  has  done, 
her  sons  who  have  successively  reigned  through  the 
wise  conduct  of  that  shrewd  woman  ?  I  am  only  sur- 
prised that  she  never  did  worse. 

Sainte-Beuve  in  his  "Canseries  du  Lundi"  gives  us 
additional  glimpses  of  this  Queen,  basing  his  views 
upon  those  of  Mezeray,  author  of  an  older  "History 
of  France" :  Mezeray,  who  never  thinks  of  the  dra- 
matic, nevertheless  makes  known  to  us  at  the  start  his 
principal  personages;  he  shows  them  more  especially 
in  action,  without  detaching  them  too  much  from  the 
general  sentiment  and  interests  of  which  they  are  the 
leaders  and  representatives,  while,  at  the  same  time,  he 
leaves  to  each  his  individual  physiognomy.  .  .  .  Cathe- 
rine de  Medici  is  painted  there  in  all  her  dissimulation 
and  her  network  of  artifices,  in  which  she  herself  was 
often  caught;  ambitious  of  sovereign  power  without 
possessing  either  the  force  or  the  genius  for  it ;  striving 


318  INTRODUCTION 

to  obtain  it  by  craft,  and  using  for  this  purpose  a  con- 
tinual system  of  what  we  should  call  today  'see-saw- 
ing'— 'rousing  and  elevating  for  a  time  one  faction, 
putting  to  sleep  or  lowering  another;  uniting  herself 
sometimes  with  the  feeblest  side  out  of  caution,  lest 
the  stronger  should  crush  her;  sometimes  with  the 
stronger  from  necessity ;  at  times  standing  neutral  when 
she  felt  herself  strong  enough  to  command  both  sides, 
but  without  intention  to  extinguish  either.'  Far  from 
being  always  too  Catholic,  there  are  moments  when 
she  seems  to  lean  to  the  Reformed  religion  and  to 
wish  to  grant  too  much  to  that  party;  and  this  with 
more  sincerity,  perhaps,  than  belonged  to  her  natur- 
ally. The  Catherine  de  Medici,  such  as  she  presents 
herself  and  is  developed  in  plain  truth  on  the  pages  of 
Mezeray  is  well  calculated  to  tempt  a  modern  writer." 

It  is  precisely  to  this  temptation  that  Balzac  has 
yielded,  in  his  book  already  mentioned.  His  summing- 
up  of  her  character  is  as  follows :  "Catherine  de  Medici 
has  suffered  more  from  popular  error  than  almost  any 
other  woman  .  .  .  and  yet  she  saved  the  throne  of 
France,  she  maintained  the  royal  authority  under  cir- 
cumstances to  which  more  than  one  gTeat  prince  would 
have  succumbed.  Face  to  face  with  such  leaders  of 
the  factions,  and  ambitions  of  the  houses  of  Guise  and 
of  Bourbon  as  the  Cardinals  de  Lorraine  and  the  two 
'Balafres,'  the  two  Princes  de  Conde,  Henry  IV., 
Montmorency,  the  Colignys,  she  was  forced  to  put 
forth  the  rarest  fine  qualities,  the  most  essential  gifts 
of  statesmanship,  under  the  fire  of  the  Calvinist  press. 
These,  at  any  rate,  are  indisputable  facts.  And  to  the 
student  who  digs  deep  into  the  history  of  the  sixteenth 
century  in  France,  the  figure  of  Catherine  de  Medici 
stands  out  as  that  of  a  great  king  .  .  . 

"Hemmed  in  between  a  race  of  princes  who  pro- 
claimed themselves  the  heirs  of  Charlemagne,  and  a 


INTRODUCTION  319 

factious  younger  branch  that  was  eager  to  bury  the 
Constable  de  Bourbon's  treason  under  the  throne; 
obliged  too,  to  fight  down  a  heresy  on  the  verge  of  de- 
vouring the  monarchy,  without  friends,  and  aware  of 
treachery  in  the  chiefs  of  the  Catholic  party  and  of 
republicanism  in  the  Calvinists,  Catherine  used  the 
most  dangerous  but  the  surest  of  political  weapons — 
Craft.  She  determined  to  deceive  by  turns  the  party 
that  was  anxious  to  secure  the  downfall  of  the  house 
of  Valois,  the  Bourbons  who  aimed  at  the  Crown,  and 
the  Reformers.  .  .  .  Indeed,  so  long  as  she  lived,  the 
Valois  sat  on  the  throne.  The  great  M.  de  Thou  un- 
derstood the  worth  of  this  woman  when  he  exclaimed 
on  hearing  of  her  death :  'It  is  not  a  woman,  it  is 
Royalty  that  dies  in  her' !" 

On  the  contrary,  if  one  will  follow  the  genial  Dumas 
through  the  pages  of  his  Valois  Romances,  he  will  find 
a  French  writer  who,  while  loyal  to  the  kingly  line, 
does  not  hesitate  to  paint  this  woman  in  unlovely 
colors.  She  is  here  the  low  intriguer  who  does  not 
stop  at  assassination  to  gain  her  ends.  On  only  one 
point,  indeed,  do  historians  and  romancers  seem  to 
agree :  she  is  always  interesting — never  commonplace. 
She  fills  a  definite  niche  in  an  important  period,  and 
her  personal  reputation  must  be  handled  as  a  thing 
apart. 

This  portrait  of  her  by  Brantome  is  one  of  a  series 
of  papers  comprising  his  "Lives  of  Illustrious  Ladies," 
— or  as  he  preferred  to  call  it,  "Book  of  the  Ladies." 
Brantome  himself  lived  an  adventurous  life.  Born  in 
Perigord  in  1537,  he  was  only  eighteen  years  younger 
than  the  queen  he  here  discusses.  His  family,  the  de 
Bourdeilles,  was  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  respected 
in  that  province.  "Not  to  boast  of  myself,"  he  says, 
"I  can  assert  that  none  of  my  race  has  ever  been  home- 
keeping;  they  have  spent  as  much  time  in  travels  and 


320  INTRODUCTION 

wars  as  any,  no  matter  who  they  be,  in  France."  The 
young  Pierre  had  his  first  experience  in  Court  life,  at 
the  Court  of  Marguerite,  sister  of  Francis  I.,  to  whom 
his  mother  was  lady-in-waiting.  As  he  was  the  young- 
est of  the  family,  he  was;destined  for  the  priesthood — 
which  he  always  regarded  from  the  militant,  rather 
than  the  spiritual  side — and  when  only  sixteen  King 
Henry  II.  bestowed  upon  him  the  Abbey  of  Brantome. 

The  record  of  his  life  thereafter  is  one  of  travel  and 
adventure  in  many  lands.  It  is  the  period  of  the 
Renaissance,  when  wars  and  conquests,  intrigues  and 
romances,  poetry  and  song  flourish, — in  all  of  which 
our  Abbe  is  equally  at  home!  He  goes  with  the  Due 
de  Guise  to  escort  the  young  widowed  Queen,  Mary, 
back  to  her  Scottish  throne.  He  visits  Marguerite  de 
Valois  in  her  retirement  and  is  so  smitten  by  her 
beauty  that  he  dedicates  all  his  books  to  her.  And 
during  his  busy,  adventurous  life  he  finds  time  to  set 
down  many  things  which  he  sees  and  hears.  Some 
of  these  stories  smack  of  the  scandalous,  but  all  un- 
doubtedly reflect  the  spirit  and  manners  of  the  time. 

After  a  long  life,  Brantome  passed  away  in  1614, 
and  although  a  clause  in  his  will  expressly  related  to 
the  publication  of  his  works  they  were  left  in  MS. 
form,  in  his  castle  of  Richemont,  for  half  a  century. 
They  were  finally  published  in  Leyden,  in  1665,  and 
have  been  frequently  reprinted  since. 


THE   MEMOIRS    OF 
CATHERINE    DE   MEDICI 

I  HAVE  wondered  a  hundred  times,  and  been  as- 
tonished, that,  with  so  many  good  writers  as  we 
have  had  in  France  in  our  day,  none  of  them 
have  been  inquisitive  enough  to  bring  out  some  sketches 
on  the  life  and  deeds  of  the  Queen-Mother,  Catherine 
de  Medici,  since  she  has  given  ample  material,  and  did 
as  much  fine  work  as  ever  was  done  by  a  queen — as 
once  said  the  Emperor  Charles  to  Paolo  Giovio  on  his 
return  from  his  triumphant  voyage  in  the  "Goulette," 
when  wishing  to  declare  war  against  King  Francis, 
that  it  was  only  necessary  to  be  provided  with  paper 
and  ink,  to  supply  him  with  any  amount  of  work. 

True  it  is  that  this  Queen  cut  out  so  much  work, 
that  any  clever  and  industrious  writer  might  build  from 
it  a  complete  Iliad ;  but  the  writers  have  all  proven  lazy 
or  ungrateful,  although  she  was  never  niggardly  to 
learned  men,  or  those  writers  of  her  times.  I  could 
name  several  who  derived  favors  from  the  Queen,  and 
for  this  reason  do  I  accuse  them  of  ingratitude. 

There  was  one,  however,  who  did  attempt  to  write 
of  her,  and  who  brought  out  a  little  book  which  he 
called  "The  Life  of  Catherine,"  but  it  is  an  imposture 
and  not  worthy  of  belief,  since  it  is  more  full  of  lies 
than  truth,  as  she  herself  said,  when  she  saw  the  book. 
The  errors  are  so  glaring  as  to  be  apparent  to  all,  and 
are  thus  easily  noted  and  rejected. 

The  author  wished  her  mortal  harm,  and  was  inimi- 
cal to  her  name,  to  her  station,  to  her  life,  to  her 

3*1 


322  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

honor  and  to  her  nature,  and  for  this  reason  he  should 
be  rejected. 

As  for  myself,  I  would  that  I  could  speak  well,  or 
that  I  had  a  fluent  pen  at  my  command  that  I  might 
exalt  and  praise  her  as  she  deserves. 

At  any  rate,  be  my  pen  what  it  may,  I  shall  use  it 
at  all  hazards. 

This  Queen  is  descended,  on  her  father's  side,  from 
the  race  of  the  Medici,  one  of  the  noblest  and  most 
illustrious  families,  not  only  in  Italy  but  in  Chris- 
tendom. 

Whatever  may  be  said,  she  was  a  foreigner  to  these 
parts,  since  the  alliances  of  the  royal  houses  cannot 
commonly  be  made  with  those  within  their  kingdoms. 
Nor  is  it  often  for  the  best,  since  foreign  marriages 
are  often  more  advantageous  than  those  made  nearer 
home. 

The  House  of  the  Medici  has  ever  been  allied  with 
the  Crown  of  France,  and  still  bears  the  ftcur-de-lys 
that  King  Louis  XI  granted  that  house  as  a  token  of 
alliance  and  perpetual  confederation. 

On  her  mother's  side  she  is  descended  from 
one  of  the  noblest  houses  of  France;  a  house 
truly  French  in  race,  in  heart  and  in  affection, 
that  great  house  of  Boulogne  and  of  the  County 
of  Auvergne. 

Thus  it  is  difficult  to  say  or  to  decide  which  of 
these  two  houses  is  the  grander,  or  which  is  the  more 
memorable  by  its  deeds. 

Here  is  what  is  said  of  them  by  the  Archbishop  of 
Bourges,  he  of  the  house  of  Beaune.  as  great  a  scholar 
and  as  worthy  a  prelate  as  there  is  in  Christendom 
(although  there  are  some  who  say  that  he  was  a  trifle 
unsteady  in  belief,  and  of  little  worth  in  the  scales  of 
M.  Saint-Michel,  who  weighs  good  Christians  for  the 
day  of  judgment,  or  so  'tis  said).  It  is  found  in  the 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  323 

funeral  oration  which  the  Archbishop  made  upon  the 
said  Queen  at  Blois. 

In  the  days  when  that  great  captain  of  the  Gauls, 
Brennus,  led  his  forces  through  Italy  and  Greece,  there 
were  in  his  troop  two  French  nobles,  one  named 
Felsinus,  the  other  named  Bono,  who  seeing  the  wicked 
designs  of  Brennus  to  invade  and  desecrate  the  temple 
of  Delphos,  after  his  great  conquests,  withdrew  their 
forces  and  passed  into  Asia  with  their  ships  and 
followers. 

They  pushed  on  until  they  entered  the  sea  of  Medes, 
which  is  near  Lydia  and  Persia. 

Thence,  after  gaining  many  victories  and  obtain- 
ing many  conquests,  they  retired,  and  while  returning 
through  Italy  on  their  way  to  France,  Felsinus  stopped 
on  the  site  of  what  is  now  Florence,  beside  the  river 
Arno,  a  place  which  he  saw  was  beautiful  and  com- 
manding and  situated  much  as  another  place  which  had 
pleased  him  much  in  the  country  of  the  Medes. 

There  he  built  the  city  which  to-day  is  Florence. 

His  companion,  Bono,  built  a  second,  and  neigh- 
boring city  which  he  called  Bononia,  the  modern 
Bologna. 

Henceforth  Felsinus  was  called  Medicus  by  his 
intimates,  in  commemoration  of  his  victories  and  con- 
quests among  the  Medes,  a  name  that  became  the 
family  name,  just  as  we  read  of  Paulus  being  sur- 
named  Macedonicus,  on  account  of  his  conquest  of 
Macedonia  from  Perseus,  and  of  Scipio  being  called 
Africanus  for  doing  the  like  in  Africa. 

I  do  not  know  from  what  source  M.  de  Beaune  got 
his  history,  but  it  is  very  probable,  that,  speaking  as  he 
did  before  the  King  and  such  an  august  assembly, 
there  convened  for  the  funeral  of  the  Queen,  M.  de 
Beaune  would  not  have  made  the  statement  without 
good  authority. 

Memoirs — 11  Vol.  1 


324  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

This  descent  is  very  different  from  the  modern  story 
invented  and  attributed  without  cause  to  the  Medici 
family,  according  to  that  lying  book  on  the  life  of 
the  Queen,  which  I  have  mentioned. 

Furthermore,  continues  the  aforementioned  Sieur 
de  Beaune,  one  reads  in  the  chronicles  that  a  certain 
Everard  de  Medici,  Sieur  of  Florence,  many  years 
afterwards,  went  with  many  of  his  subjects  to  the 
assistance  of  Charlemagne  in  his  expedition  in  Italy 
against  Didier,  king  of  the  Lombards,  and  having 
courageously  succoured  and  assisted  him  was  granted 
and  invested  with  the  lordship  of  Florence. 

Many  years  later,  one  Anemond  de  Medici,  also  a 
Sieur  of  Florence,  accompanied,  with  many  of  his  sub- 
jects, Godefroy  de  Bouillon  to  the  Holy  Land,  where 
he  died  at  the  siege  of  Nicaea  in  Asia. 

Such  greatness  continued  in  that  family  down  to  the 
time  when  Florence  was  reduced  to  a  republic  by  the 
internecine  wars  in  Italy  between  the  emperors  and  the 
people,  the  illustrious  members  of  this  family  con- 
tinually manifesting  their  valour  and  grandeur  from 
time  to  time,  as  we  see  in  these  later  days,  how  Cosmo 
de  Medici,  with  his  arms,  his  navy  and  ships  struck 
terror  into  the  Turks  on  the  Mediterranean  and  even 
in  the  distant  East;  so  that  none  since  his  time,  no 
matter  how  great  he  may  have  been,  has  surpassed 
him  in  strength,  valour  and  wealth,  as  has  been  re- 
corded by  Raffaelle  Volaterano. 

The  temples  and  sacred  shrines  built  by  him, 
the  hospitals  founded  by  him,  even  as  far  as 
Jerusalem,  all  give  ample  proof  of  his  piety  and 
magnanimity. 

Then  there  was  Lorenzo  de  Medici,  snrnamed  the 
Great  on  account  of  his  virtuous  deeds,  and  the  two 
great  popes,  Leo  and  Clement,  besides  many  cardinals 
and  great  personages  of  the  name,  including  the  Grand 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  325 

Duke  of  Tuscany,  Cosmo  de  Medici,  a  wise  and  wary 
man,  if  there  ever  was  one. 

He  succeeded  in  retaining  his  duchy,  which  he 
found  invaded  and  in  great  distress  when  he  in- 
herited it 

In  short,  nothing  can  rob  this  house  of  the  Medici 
of  its  lustre,  and  of  its  nobleness  and  grandeur  in  all 
ways. 

As  to  the  house  of  Boulogne  and  Auvergne,  who 
can  deny  its  greatness,  descending  as  it  does  from  that 
noble  Eustache  de  Boulogne,  whose  brother,  Godefroy 
de  Bouillon,  who  bore  his  arms  and  escutcheons  with 
that  vast  number  of  princes,  seigneurs,  chevaliers, 
and  Christian  soldiers  even  to  Jerusalem  and  to  the 
sepulchre  of  our  Saviour,  where  he  would  have  made 
himself,  by  his  sword  and  by  the  favour  of  God,  king, 
not  only  of  Jerusalem,  but  also  of  the  greater  part  of 
the  East,  to  the  confusion  of  Mahomet,  the  Saracens, 
and  the  Mahometans,  to  the  amazement  of  all  the  rest 
of  the  world,  and  would  have  replanted  Christianity 
in  Asia  when  it  had  fallen  to  the  lowest  depths  ? 

Besides  this  house  had  ever  been  sought  in  alliance 
by  all  the  monarchies  of  Christendom  and  by  the  great 
families,  such  as  those  of  France,  England,  Scotland, 
Hungary,  and  Portugal,  which  latter  kingdom  be- 
longed to  it  of  right,  as  I  have  heard  President  de  Thou 
say,  and  as  the  Queen  herself  did  me  the  honor  to  tell 
me  at  Bordeaux,  when  she  heard  of  the  death  of 
King  Sebastian.  The  Medici  were  even  allowed  to 
argue  the  justice  of  their  claims  at  the  last  Assembly 
of  States  previous  to  the  death  of  King  Henry. 

And  it  was  for  this  reason  that  she  armed  M.  de 
Strozzi  for  an  invasion  of  Portugal,  where  the  King 
of  Spain  had  usurped  the  kingdom.  She  was  pre- 
vented from  carrying  out  her  well-chosen  plans  by  rea- 
sons which  I  will  explain  at  another  time. 


326  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

I  will  leave  it  to  you,  therefore,  whether  the  house 
of  Boulogne  was  great :  yea,  so  great  it  is  that  I  once 
heard  Pope  Pius  IV  say,  while  sitting  at  table  at  a 
dinner  he  gave  after  he  had  made  Ferrara  and  Guise 
cardinals,  that  the  house  of  Boulogne  was  so  great  and 
noble  he  knew  none  in  France,  no  matter  which,  that 
could  surpass  it  in  antiquity,  valour,  and  grandeur. 

All  this  is  much  against  those  malicious  detractors, 
who  have  said  that  this  Queen  was  a  Florentine  of 
lowly  birth,  as  one  can  see  the  contrary  to  be  the  case. 

Moreover,  she  was  not  so  poor  since  she  brought  to 
France  as  portion  of  her  marriage  estates  which  are 
valued  to-day  twenty-six  thousand  livres,  such  as  the 
Counties  of  Auvergne  and  Lauragais,  the  seigneuries 
of  Leverons,  Donzenac,  Boussac,  Gorreges,  Honde- 
court,  and  other  lands — all  inherited  from  her  mother. 

Her  dowry  included  also  more  than  two  hundred 
thousand  ducats,  which  are  worth  to-day  over  four 
hundred  thousand ;  as  well  as  great  quantities  of  furni- 
ture, precious  stones,  jewels,  including  the  finest  and 
the  largest  pearls  ever  seen  in  such  quantities,  pearls 
that  she  afterwards  gave  to  the  Queen  of  Scotland 
[Mary  Stuart],  her  daughter-in-law,  whom  I  have  seen 
wearing  them.  Besides  all  this,  many  manors,  houses, 
deeds,  and  claims  which  she  possessed  in  Italy. 
.  But,  more  than  all  else,  her  marriage  caused  a 
strengthening  in  the  fortunes  of  France,  which  had 
been  so  shaken  by  the  imprisonment  of  the  King  and 
by  his  losses  at  Milan  and  Naples. 

King  Francis,  it  is  well  known,  knew  that  such  a 
marriage  greatly  helped  his  interests.  Therefore  there 
was  given  to  this  Queen,  as  a  device,  a  rainbow,  which 
she  bore  as  long  as  she  was  married,  with  these  words 
in  Greek,  ?>">?  ylpet  ft8k  ratfvTjv,  which  is  the  equivalent 
of  saying  that  just  as  this  fire  and  bow  in  the  heavens 
brings  and  signifies  good  weather,  just  so  this  Queen 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  327 

was  a  true  sign  of  clearness,  of  serenity  and  of  the 
tranquillity  of  peace.  The  Greek  is  thus  translated: 
Lucem  fert  et  screnitatem  —  she  brings  light  and 
serenity. 

After  that  the  Emperor  [Charles  V]  no  longer 
dared  to  push  forward  his  ambitious  motto :  "Ever 
farther."  For,  notwithstanding  the  truce  which  ex- 
isted between  himself  and  King  Francis,  he  was 
nursing  his  ambition  with  the  plan  of  gaining  always 
from  France  whatever  he  could;  and  he  was  much 
surprised  at  this  alliance  with  the  Pope  [Clement  VII], 
yet  recognising  the  latter  as  an  able,  a  courageous  man, 
but  vindictive  on  account  of  his  imprisonment  by  the 
imperial  troops  at  the  sack  of  Rome. 

Such  a  marriage  was  displeasing  to  him  so  much 
that  I  have  heard  a  truthful  lady  of  the  Court  say 
that  if  he  had  not  been  married  to  the  Empress,  he 
would  have  made  an  alliance  with  the  Pope  himself, 
and  espoused  his  niece  [Catherine  de  Medici],  as  much 
for  the  help  of  so  strong  a  party  as  because  he  feared 
the  Pope  would  help  in  losing  for  him  Naples,  Milan 
and  Genoa;  for  the  Pope  had  promised  King  Francis, 
in  an.  authentic  document,  when  he  had  delivered  the 
money  of  his  niece's  dowry  and  her  rings  and  jewels, 
that  he  would  make  the  dowry  worthy  of  such  a  mar- 
riage by  adding  to  it  three  pearls  of  inestimable  value, 
the  excessive  splendour  of  which  caused  envy  and 
covetousness  among  the  greatest  of  kings,  meaning  the 
three  cities  of  Naples,  Milan  and  Genoa.  And  it  can- 
not be  doubted  that  if  the  Pope  had  lived  the  natural 
span  of  his  life  he  would  have  sold  out  the  Emperor 
too,  and  made  him  pay  well  for  that  imprisonment,  in 
order  to  enrich  his  niece  and  the  kingdom  to  which 
she  was  joined.  But  Clement  VII  died  too  soon  and 
all  these  expected  gains  could  not  withstand  this  blow. 
So  that  our  Queen,  having  lost  her  mother,  Magdelaine 


328  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

de  Boulogne,  and  Lorenzo  de  Medici,  Duke  of  Urbino, 
her  father,  in  her  early  life,  was  given  in  marriage  to 
France  by  her  uncle,  Pope  Clement  VII,  and  was 
brought  by  sea  in  great  triumph  to  Marseilles,  where 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  she  was  wedded  with  great 
ceremony. 

She  made  herself  so  beloved  by  the  King,  her 
father-in-law,  and  by  King  Henry,  her  husband,  that 
after  ten  years  had  passed  and  still  no  heir  being  born 
to  her,  and  though  many  persons  endeavoured  to  per- 
suade the  King  and  the  Dauphin,  her  husband,  to 
divorce  her,  neither  one  would  consent,  so  greatly  did 
they  love  her.  But  after  ten  years,  in  accordance  with 
the  nature  of  the  women  of  the  Medici  family,  who 
were  ever  slow  in  conceiving,  she  began  to  furnish 
heirs,  the  first  being  King  Francis  II. 

After  him  was  born  the  Queen  of  Spain,  and  then 
consecutively,  that  fine  and  illustrious  progeny  whom  we 
have  all  seen,  besides  others  who  were  no  sooner  born 
than  they  died,  by  great  misfortune  and  fatality.  For 
this  reason  the  King,  her  husband,  loved  her  more  and 
more,  and  in  such  manner  that  he,  who  was  naturally 
of  an  amorous  temperament,  and  who  greatly  liked  to 
make  love  and  to  vary  his  loves,  often  said  that  of 
all  the  women  in  the  world  there  was  none  who  ex- 
celled his  wife  for  love-making,  nor  did  any  equal  her. 

He  had  good  cause  for  saying  this,  for  she  truly  was 
a  princess  beautiful  as  well  as  lovable.  She  was  of 
fine  and  stately  presence ;  of  great  majesty,  at  the  same 
time  gentle  when  occasion  required  it :  of  noble  appear- 
ance and  good  grace,  her  face  handsome  and  agreeable, 
her  bosom  full,  beautiful,  and  exquisitely  fair,  her  body 
also  very  fair,  the  flesh  firm,  the  skin  smooth,  as  I 
have  heard  from  several  ladies-in-waiting:  of  a  good 
plumpness  as  well,  the  leg  and  thigh  well  formed  (as 
I  have  heard  too  from  the  same  ladies). 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  329 

She  also  took  great  pride  in  being  well  shod  and  in 
having  her  stockings  tightly  drawn  up  without  wrinkles. 
Besides  all  this  she  possessed  the  most  beautiful  hand 
that  was  ever  seen,  as  I  believe.  The  poets  once 
praised  Aurora  for  her  fine  hands  and  tapering  fingers ; 
but  I  think  our  Queen  would  surpass  her  in  that ;  and 
she  carefully  guarded  and  maintained  this  beauty  to 
her  dying  day. 

King  Henry  III,  her  son,  inherited  much  of  this 
beauty  of  the  hand. 

Moreover  she  always  dressed  herself  well  and  su- 
perbly, often  with  some  new  and  pretty  conceit.  In 
short,  she  had  many  charms  in  herself  to  make  her 
well  loved.  I  remember  that  at  Lyons  one  day  she 
went  to  see  a  painter  named  Corneille  who  had  painted 
and  exhibited  in  a  spacious  room  portraits  of  all  the 
great  seigneurs,  princes,  cavaliers,  queens,  princesses, 
ladies  and  maids  of  honour  of  the  Court,  and  she  being 
in  this  room  with  us  we  all  saw  there  her  portrait 
painted  true  to  life,  showing  her  in  all  her  beauty  and 
perfection,  apparelled  as  a  Frenchwoman  with  a  cap, 
showing  her  great  pearls,  and  a  gown  whose  wide 
sleeves  of  silver  tissue  were  trimmed  with  lynx — the 
whole  picture,  which  also  showed  the  portraits  of  her 
three  daughters,  was  so  perfect  that  speech  alone 
seemed  lacking. 

The  Queen  took  great  pleasure  in  seeing  the  portrait, 
and  the  assembled  company  did  likewise,  and  praised 
and  admired  her  beauty  above  all. 

She  herself  was  so  ravished  at  the  sight  of  the  por- 
trait that  she  could  not  take  her  gaze  from  it,  until 
M.  de  Nemours  came  to  her  and  said,  "Madame,  I 
think  you  are  so  well  portrayed  there  that  there  re- 
mains nothing  more  to  be  said,  and  it  seems  to  me, 
too,  that  your  daughters  do  you  great  honour,  for 
they  do  not  excel  you,  nor  surpass  you." 


330  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

To  this  the  Queen  replied,  "My  cousin,  I  think  you 
can  remember  the  period,  the  age,  and  the  dress  rep- 
resented in  this  portrait,  so  that  you  can  judge  better 
than  any  one  present,  you  who  have  seen  me  dressed 
as  I  am  represented  in  this  portrait,  and  can  say 
whether  I  was  esteemed  as  much  as  they  say,  and 
whether  I  ever  looked  as  I  am  portrayed  there." 

There  was  not  one  in  the  whole  company  who  did 
not  lavish  praise  and  estimate  her  beauty  highly,  and 
who  did  not  say  that  the  mother  was  worthy  of  the 
daughters  and  the  daughters  of  the  mother.  And  this 
beauty  remained  her  portion  through  life,  while  mar- 
ried and  while  widowed,  until  her  death ;  not  that  she 
had  the  freshness  of  her  more  blooming  and  younger 
years,  but  still  she  remained  well  preserved,  always 
agreeable,  always  desirable. 

Besides  she  was  very  good  company,  always  of  a 
good  humour;  loving  any  becoming  exercise,  such  as 
dancing,  in  which  she  exhibited  great  grace  and 
dignity. 

She  also  greatly  loved  hunting ;  about  which  I  heard 
a  lady  of  the  Court  tell  this  tale:  King  Francis  having 
chosen  and  gathered  a  few  of  his  Court  whom  he 
called  "the  little  band  of  Court  ladies,"  which  included 
the  handsomest,  daintiest  and  most  favoured,  often  es- 
caped from  the  Court  and  went  to  other  estates  to 
hunt  deer  and  while  away  the  time,  sometimes  stay- 
ing thus  in  retreat  eight  days,  ten  days,  sometimes 
more,  sometimes  less,  just  as  the  humour  took  him. 

Our  Queen  (who  was  then  simply  Madame  la 
Dauphine)  seeing  that  such  parties  were  made  up  with- 
out her,  and  that  even  Mesdames  her  sisters-in-law  were 
included  while  she  was  left  at  home,  begged  the  King 
to  always  take  her  with  him,  and  to  further  honour 
her  by  never  allowing  her  to  go  about  without  being 
accompanied  by  him. 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  331 

It's  said  that  she,  who  was  always  shrewd  and  clever, 
did  this  as  much  or  more  to  watch  the  King's  move- 
ments and  to  learn  his  secrets  and  to  be  able  to  hear 
and  know  all  that  went  on,  as  she  did  it  from  pure 
liking  for  the  chase. 

King  Francis  was  so  pleased  with  this  request, 
showing,  as  it  seemed,  the  love  she  had  for  his 
company,  that  he  heartily  granted  her  request.  He 
loved  her  more  now  than  ever  before  and  showed 
delight  in  giving  her  the  pleasures  of  the  hunt, 
which  she  followed,  riding  at  full  speed  and  ever 
by  his  side. 

She  was  a  good  and  fearless  horseback  rider,  sitting 
her  horse  with  easy  grace,  and  was  the  first  to  ride  with 
the  leg  around  the  pommel,  which  was  more  graceful 
and  becoming  than  the  former  mode  of  sitting  with 
feet  upon  a  board.  She  loved  to  ride  horseback  even 
up  to  the  time  she  was  sixty  years  old  and  over,  and 
when  her  growing  feebleness  prevented  her  riding  she 
pined  for  it.  It  was  one  of  her  greatest  pleasures  to 
ride  far  and  fast,  though  she  had  many  falls,  even 
breaking  her  leg  and  bruising  her  head  so  severely  that 
it  had  to  be  trepanned.  After  she  became  a  widow  and 
had  charge  of  the  King  and  the  kingdom,  she  accom- 
panied the  King  everywhere  and  took  all  her  children 
with  her;  and  when  the  King,  her  husband,  was  still 
living  she  generally  accompanied  him  to  the  stag  and 
other  hunts.  If  he  played  pall-mall  she  often  watched 
him,  and  sometmes  played  herself.  She  was  also  fond 
of  shooting  baked  clay  balls  with  a  cross-bow,  and  she 
shot  well  too;  so  that  she  always  took  with  her  her 
cross-bow  when  riding,  in  order  if  any  game  was  seen 
she  could  shoot  it.  When  she  was  kept  indoors  by  bad 
weather  she  was  forever  devising  some  new  dance  or 
beautiful  ballet.  She  invented  games  as  well  and 
passed  her  time  by  these  devices,  being  quite  unre- 


332  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

served,  but  knowing  how  to  be  grave  and  austere  when 
occasion  demanded  it. 

She  was  fond  of  seeing  comedies  and  tragedies  en- 
acted, but  after  "Sophonisbe,"  a  tragedy  written  by  M. 
de  Saint-Gelais,  was  well  presented  at  Blois  by  her 
daughters,  maids-of-honor  and  other  ladies  as  well  as 
gentlemen  of  her  Court  during  the  celebration  attendant 
on  the  marriages  of  M.  du  Cypiere  and  the  Marquis 
d'Elboeuf,  she  took  the  notion  that  tragedies  were  un- 
lucky for  state  affairs  and  so  would  not  let  them  be 
played  again.  But  she  still  listened  readily  enough  to 
comedies  and  tragi-comedies,  even  such  as  "Zani"  and 
"Pantaloon"  and  took  great  pleasure  in  them,  laughing 
as  heartily  as  any  one,  for  she  liked  laughter,  being 
naturally  of  a  happy  disposition,  loving  a  witty  word 
and  being  ever  ready  with  a  witty  rejoinder,  knowing 
well  when  to  cast  a  jest  or  a  stone,  and  when  to  with- 
hold it. 

In  the  afternoons  she  passed  her  time  at  work  on  her 
silk  embroideries,  in  which  she  was  as  perfect  as 
possible. 

In  short  the  Queen  liked  and  practiced  all  healthy 
exercises,  and  there  was  not  one  that  was  worthy  of 
herself  or  her  sex  that  the  Queen  did  not  wish  to  essay 
and  practice. 

This  is  a  brief  description,  avoiding  prolixity,  of 
the  beauty  of  her  person  and  of  her  various  exercises. 

When  she  called  any  one  "my  friend"  it  was  be- 
cause she  either  thought  him  a  fool  or  was  angry  with 
him.  This  was  so  well  known  that  once  when  she  had 
thus  addressed  one  of  her  attendant  gentlemen,  named 
M.  de  Bois-Fevrier,  he  made  reply,  "Alas,  Madame,  I 
would  rather  have  you  call  me  'enemy,'  for  to  call  me 
your  friend  is  the  equivalent  of  saying  either  I  am  a 
fool  or  that  you  are  angry  with  me,  for  I  have  long 
known  your  nature." 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  333 

As  for  her  mind,  it  was  great  and  admirable,  as  is 
shown  by  so  many  fine  and  striking  acts,  by  which  her 
life  has  been  made  illustrious  forever. 

The  King,  her  husband,  as  well  as  his  Council  of 
State  esteemed  her  so  highly  that  when  the  King 
left  the  kingdom  on  his  journey  to  Germany,  he 
established  and  placed  her  as  Regent  and  Governor 
throughout  his  dominions  during  his  absence  by  royal 
declaration  solemnly  made  before  the  Houses  of  Parlia- 
ment in  Paris.  This  trust  she  exercised  so  wisely  that 
there  was  no  disturbance,  change,  nor  alteration  in  the 
State  because  of  the  King's  absence;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, the  Queen  so  carefully  saw  to  affairs  that  she  was 
able  to  assist  the  King  with  money,  means,  and  men, 
and  other  kinds  of  aid ;  which  greatly  aided  him  in  his 
return  and  for  the  conquest  which  he  made  of  cities  in 
the  duchy  of  Luxembourg,  such  as  Yvoy,  Montmedy, 
Dampvilliers,  Chimay  and  others. 

I  leave  it  to  you  what  must  be  thought  of  him  who 
wrote  that  fine  life  when  he  slanders  her  by  saying 
that  never  did  the  King,  her  husband,  allow  her  to  put 
her  nose  into  matters  of  state. 

Was  not  this  making  her  Regent  in  his  absence  giv- 
ing her  ample  opportunities  to  have  full  knowledge  of 
them  ?  And  she  did  this  during  all  the  trips  he  made 
yearly  in  going  to  his  armies. 

What  did  she  do  after  the  battle  of  Saint-Laurens, 
when  the  state  was  so  shaken  and  the  King  had 
hastened  to  Compiegne  to  raise  a  new  army  ? 

She  became  so  wrapped  up  in  state  affairs  that  she 
so  aroused  and  stirred  up  the  gentlemen  of  Paris  that 
they  gave  prompt  aid  to  their  King,  which  came  at  a 
good  time,  and  included  money  and  other  things  very 
necessary  in  war. 

Furthermore,  when  the  King,  her  husband,  was 
wounded,  persons  who  were  there  and  saw  it  cannot 


334  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

be  uninformed  of  the  great  care  she  took  for  his  cure, 
and  the  vigils  she  kept  by  his  bedside ;  the  prayers  she 
offered  continuously;  the  processions  and  visitations 
she  made  to  the  churches ;  and  the  hurried  journeys  she 
made  in  all  directions  for  doctors  and  surgeons.  But 
the  King's  hour  had  come;  and  when  he  passed  from 
this  world  to  the  next,  her  grief  was  so  great  and  she 
shed  so  many  tears  that  it  would  seem  she  never  could 
control  them,  and  ever  after,  whenever  his  name  was 
spoken  the  tears  welled  up  from  the  depths  of  her  eyes. 
For  this  reason  she  assumed  a  device  in  keeping  and 
suitable  to  her  tears  and  mourning,  namely,  a  mound 
of  quicklime  over  which  the  drops  from  heaven  fall 
abundantly,  with  these  words  in  Latin  as  a  motto: 
Adorem  extincta  testantur  vivere  ftamma  (Although 
the  flame  is  extinguished,  this  testifies  that  the  fire 
still  lives).  The  drops  of  water,  like  her  tears, 
show  ardour,  though  the  flame  has  been  extin- 
guished. This  device  is  allegorical  of  the  nature  of 
quicklime,  which  when  watered  burns  strangely  and 
shows  its  fire  though  the  flame  is  wanting.  Thus  did 
our  Queen  show  her  zeal  and  affection  by  her  tears, 
though  the  flame,  which  typified  her  husband,  was  now 
extinct.  And  this  was  the  same  as  saying  that,  although 
he  was  dead,  she  wished  to  show  by  her  tears  that  she 
could  never  forget  him,  but  would  love  him  always. 

A  similar  device  was  formerly  borne  by  Madame 
Valentine  de  Milan,  Duchess  d'Orleans,  after  the  death 
of  her  husband,  who  was  killed  in  Paris,  for  whom  she 
grieved  so  much,  that  as  a  solace  and  comfort  in  her 
mourning,  she  assumed  as  device  a  watering  pot,  above 
which  was  an  S,  meaning,  it  is  said,  Seule,  souvenir, 
soucis,soupirer(~Lor\z\y,  remembrance,  solicitude,  sigh- 
ing). And  around  the  watering-pot  were  inscribed 
these  words,  Rien  ne  m'est  plus;  plus  ne  m'est  ricn 
(  Nought  is  more  to  me ;  more  is  to  me  nothing) .  This 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  335 

device  is  still  to  be  seen  in  her  chapel  in  the  Church  of 
the  Franciscans  at  Blois. 

Good  King  Rene  of  Sicily  having  lost  his  wife 
Isabel,  Duchess  de  Lorraine,  suffered  such  great  grief 
that  he  never  was  happy  afterwards ;  and  when  his  inti- 
mate friends  and  favourites  tried  to  console  him  he  was 
wont  to  lead  them  to  his  bedroom  and  there  show  them 
a  picture,  painted  by  himself  (for  he  was  an  excellent 
painter),  depicting  a  Turkish  bow  unstrung,  beneath 
which  was  written,  Arco  per  lentare  piaga  non  sana 
(The  bow  although  unstrung  heals  not  the  wounds). 

Then  King  Rene  would  thus  address  them :  "My 
friends,  with  this  picture  I  answer  all  your  arguments. 
By  unstringing  a  bow,  or  by  breaking  the  string,  the 
harm  done  by  the  arrow  can  quickly  be  prevented,  but 
the  life  of  my  dear  spouse  being  broken  and  extin- 
guished by  death,  the  wound  to  the  loyal  love  that  ever 
filled  my  heart  for  her  while  she  lived  cannot  be  cured." 
In  various  places  in  Angers  these  Turkish  bows  with 
broken  strings  can  be  seen,  with  these  words  inscribed 
beneath,  Arco  per  lentare  piaga  non  sana  (The  loosened 
bow  does  not  heal  the  wound).  The  same  is  seen  on 
the  Franciscan  church,  in  the  Chapel  of  Saint-Ber- 
nardin,  which  he  decorated.  He  assumed  this  device 
after  the  death  of  his  Queen,  although  during  her  life- 
time he  had  used  another  one. 

Our  Queen,  around  her  device,  which  I  have  de- 
scribed, placed  many  trophies,  such  as  cracked  mirrors, 
fans,  rumpled  plumes,  pearls,  broken  quivers,  precious 
stones  and  jewels  scattered  about,  bits  of  broken  chains, 
the  whole  to  signify  the  abandoning  of  all  worldly 
pomp,  since,  now  that  her  husband  was  dead,  her 
mourning  for  him  was  never  to  cease,  and  without 
the  grace  of  God  and  the  courage  which  He  had 
given  her,  she  would  have  succumbed  to  her  great 
grief  and  distress.  But  she  saw  that  her  young  chil- 


336  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

dren,  as  well  as  France,  needed  her  aid,  as  we  ourselves 
have  seen  since  by  experience;  for,  like  a  Semiramis, 
or  a  second  Athalie,  she  foiled,  saved,  guarded  and 
preserved  these  same  young  children  from  many  enter- 
prises planned  against  them  during  their  early  years; 
and  accomplished  this  with  so  much  prudence  and  in- 
dustry that  all  thought  her  wonderful. 

She  was  Regent  of  this  kingdom  after  the  death  of 
King  Francis,  her  son,  and  during  the  minority  of  our 
kings  by  the  ordinance  of  the  Estates  of  Orleans,  and 
this,  which  well  might  have  been  given  to  the  King  of 
Navarre,  who  as  premier  prince  of  the  blood  wished  to 
be  Regent  in  her  place,  and  to  be  Governor  over  all. 
But  she  won  over  so  easily  and  dexterously  the  said 
Estates  that  if  the  King  of  Navarre  had  not  gone  else- 
where, she  would  have  had  him  attainted  of  the  crime 
of  lese-majeste. 

And  it  is  possible  that  but  for  Madame  de  Mont- 
pensier,  who  had  great  influence  over  her,  she  would 
still  have  done  so  on  account  of  the  intrigue  against 
the  Estates  into  which  he  forced  the  Prince  de  Conde. 

So  the  aforementioned  King  was  obliged  to  content 
himself  to  serve  under  her,  and  this  was  one  of  the 
shrewd  and  subtle  moves  she  made  in  the  beginning 
of  her  management  of  affairs.  Afterwards  she  knew 
how  to  maintain  her  rank  and  authority  so  imperiously 
that  no  one  dared  deny  it,  no  matter  how  grand  or 
how  strenuous  he  might  be,  as  was  shown  after  a 
period  of  three  months  when,  during  a  stay  of  the 
Court  at  Fontainebleau,  this  same  King  of  Navarre, 
wishing  to  show  the  resentment  still  in  his  heart,  took 
offence  because  M.  de  Guise  had  the  keys  of  the  King's 
palace  brought  to  him  each  night,  and  kept  them  all 
night  in  his  room  exactly  like  a  grand  master  of  the 
household  (for  that  was  one  of  his  appointments),  so 
that  no  one  could  go  out  without  his  permission. 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  337 

This  angered  greatly  the  King  of  Navarre,  who  him- 
self wished  to  keep  the  keys.  On  being  refused  the 
keys,  he  grew  spiteful  and  rebellious  to  such  an  extent 
that  one  morning  he  suddenly  came  to  the  King  and 
Queen  and  announced  his  intention  of  taking  leave  of 
the  Court,  and  of  taking  with  him  all  the  princes  of  the 
blood,  whom  he  had  won  over,  including  M.  le  Con- 
netable de  Montmorency,  his  children  and  nephew. 

The  Queen,  who  did  not  expect  this  move,  was  as- 
tounded at  first,  and  did  all  in  her  power  to  avert  the 
blow,  giving  assurances  to  the  King  of  Navarre  that  if 
he  would  but  be  patient  he  would  some  day  be  satisfied 
with  affairs. 

But  fair  words  gained  her  nothing  with  the  King, 
who  was  determined  to  leave. 

It  was  then  that  our  Queen  decided  on  this  shrewd 
plan:  She  sent  orders  to  M.  le  Connetable,  as  princi- 
pal, first  and  oldest  officer  of  the  crown,  to  remain  near 
the  person  of  the  King,  his  master,  as  then  his  office 
demanded,  and  not  to  take  his  departure. 

M.  le  Connetable,  being  a  wise  and  judicious  man, 
and  being  zealous  for  his  master's  interests  as  well  as 
alert  to  his  grandeur  and  honour,  after  reflecting  on  his 
duty  and  the  orders  sent  him,  went  to  the  King  and 
announced  himself  ready  to  fulfil  his  office. 

This  greatly  astonished  the  King  of  Navarre,  who 
was  on  the  point  of  mounting  his  horse,  waiting  only 
the  arrival  of  M.  le  Connetable  to  depart. 

M.  le  Connetable  when  he  came  explained  his  duty 
and  the  responsibility  of  his  office  and  endeavoured  to 
persuade  the  King  of  Navarre  himself  not  to  budge  or 
take  his  departure.  This  he  did  so  well  that  the  King 
of  Navarre  at  his  urging  went  to  see  the  King  and 
Queen,  and  after  conferring  with  their  majesties  he 
gave  up  his  journey  and  countermanded  his  orders  for 
his  mules,  they  having  by  that  time  arrived  at  Melun. 


338  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

So  peace  once  more  reigned,  to  the  great  joy  of  the 
King  of  Navarre. 

Not  that  M.  de  Guise  diminished  any  of  his  claims 
pertaining  to  his  office,  or  yielded  one  atom  of  his 
honour,  for  he  retained  his  pre-eminence  and  all  that 
belonged  to  him,  without  being  shaken  in  the  least,  al- 
though he  was  not  the  stronger ;  but  in  such  affairs  he 
was  a  man  of  the  world  and  was  never  bewildered,  but 
knew  well  how  to  face  things  courageously  and  to  keep 
to  his  rank,  and  to  hold  what  he  had. 

It  cannot  be  doubted,  as  all  the  world  knows,  but 
that,  if  the  Queen  had  not  bethought  herself  of  this 
scheme  regarding  M.  le  Connetable,  all  that  party 
would  have  gone  to  Paris  and  stirred  up  trouble  for 
us,  for  which  reason  great  credit  should  be  given  the 
Queen  for  her  makeshift. 

I  know,  for  I  was  there,  that  many  said  that  the 
plan  was  not  of  her  invention,  but  rather  that  of  Cardi- 
nal de  Tournon,  a  wise  and  judicious  prelate;  but  this 
is  false,  for,  old  hand  as  he  was  for  prudence  and 
counsel,  my  faith,  the  Queen  knew  more  tricks  than  he, 
or  all  the  Council  of  the  King  put  together. 

For  often,  when  he  was  at  fault,  she  would  help  him 
and  put  him  on  the  track  of  what  he  ought  to  know,  of 
which  I  might  give  many  examples;  but  it  will  be 
enough  to  cite  this  one  instance,  which  is  recent,  and 
about  which  the  Queen  herself  did  me  the  honour  to 
disclose. 

It  is  as  follows : 

When  she  went  to  Guyenne,  and,  later,  to  Coignac 
to  reconcile  the  princes  of  the  Religion  and  those  of  the 
League,  and  so  give  peace  to  the  kingdom  again — for 
she  saw  that  it  would  soon  be  ruined  by  this  division — 
she  determined  to  declare  a  truce  in  order  to  formulate 
this  peace ;  because  of  which  the  King  of  Navarre  and 
the  Prince  de  Conde  became  very  discontented  and 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  339 

mutinous — for  the  reason,  they  said,  that  this  procla- 
mation did  them  great  harm  because  of  their  foreign 
troops,  who,  having  heard  of  it,  might  repent  of  their 
coming,  or  might  delay  in  coming,  thinking  that  the 
Queen  had  made  it  with  that  very  intention. 

And  they  declared  and  resolved  not  to  see  the  Queen 
nor  to  treat  with  her  until  the  said  truce  was  revoked. 

Her  Council,  whom  she  had  with  her,  though  com- 
posed of  able  men,  she  found  to  be  without  much  sense 
and  weak,  because  they  could  find  no  means  by  which 
this  truce  could  be  rescinded. 

The  Queen  then  said  to  them,  "Truly,  you  are  very 
stupid  as  to  finding  a  remedy.  Don't  you  know  any 
better  ?  There  is  only  one  solution  to  this.  You  have 
at  Maillezais  the  Huguenot  regiment  of  Neufvy  and  of 
Sorlu.  Send  for  me  from  here,  from  Niort,  all  the 
arquebusiers  you  can  muster  and  cut  the  regiment  to 
pieces  and  so  you  will  have  the  truce  broken  and  re- 
scinded without  any  further  trouble." 

And  as  soon  as  she  commanded  it,  it  was  done, 
the  arquebusiers  started,  led  by  Captain  1'Estelle,  and 
forced  their  fort  and  barricades  so  well  that  the 
Huguenot  regiment  was  defeated,  Sorlu  killed,  who 
was  a  valiant  man,  Neufvy  taken  prisoner  and  many 
others  killed.  Their  flags  were  all  captured  and 
brought  to  the  Queen  at  Niort.  She  showed  her  ac- 
customed clemency  by  pardoning  all,  and  sent  them 
away  with  their  ensigns  and  flags,  which,  as  regards 
flags,  is  a  very  rare  thing. 

But  she  wished  to  make  this  concession,  she  told  me, 
on  account  of  its  very  rarity,  so  that  the  princes 
would  now  know  that  they  had  to  deal  with  a  very 
able  princess,  and  that  they  should  not  apply  to  her 
such  mockery  as  to  make  her  revoke  a  truce  by  the  very 
heralds  who  had  proclaimed  it.  For  while  they  were 
planning  to  give  her  this  insult,  she  had  fallen  upon 


340  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

them,  and  now  sent  word  to  them  by  the  prisoners  that 
it  was  not  for  them  to  affront  her  by  demanding1  of 
her  unseemly  and  unreasonable  things,  since  it  re- 
mained in  her  power  to  do  them  good  or  evil. 

In  this  manner  this  Queen  knew  how  to  give  and 
drill  in  a  lesson  to  her  Council.  I  might  tell  of  other 
instances,  but  I  have  other  points  to  treat  upon,  the 
first  of  which  will  be  to  answer  those  whom  I  have 
often  heard  accuse  her  of  being  the  first  to  fly  to  arms, 
thus  being  the  cause  of  our  civil  wars. 

Whoever  will  look  to  the  source  of  the  thing  will 
not  believe  it ;  for,  the  triumvirate  being  created,  with 
the  King  of  Navarre  at  its  head,  she  (seeing  the  plots 
that  were  being  concocted,  and  knowing  the  change  of 
faith  made  by  the  King  of  Navarre — who  from  being 
Huguenot  and  very  strict,  had  turned  Catholic — and 
knowing  by  this  change  she  had  cause  to  fear  for  the 
King,  for  the  kingdom,  and  for  herself,  and  that  he 
might  move  against  them,  she  reflected  and  wondered 
to  what  tended  such  plots,  such  numerous  meetings, 
colloquies  and  secret  audiences ;  and,  not  being  able  to 
fathom  the  mystery,  it  is  said  that  one  day  she  be- 
thought herself  to  go  to  the  room  above  which  the  secret 
session  was  being  held,  and  there,  by  means  of  a  tube 
which  she  had  caused  to  be  surreptitiously  inserted 
under  the  tapestry,  she  listened  unperceived  to  all  their 
plans. 

Among  other  things  she  heard  one  that  was  very 
terrible  and  bitter  for  her,  and  that  was  when  Marechal 
de  Saint-Andre,  one  of  the  triumvirate,  proposed  that 
the  Queen  be  taken,  put  in  a  sack  and  flung  into  the 
river,  since  otherwise  they  would  never  succeed  in  their 
plans. 

But  the  late  M.  de  Guise,  who  was  always  fair  and 
generous,  said  that  such  a  thing  must  not  be,  for  it 
was  going  too  far,  and  was  too  unjust  to  thus  cruelly 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  341 

slay  the  wife  and  mother  of  our  kings,  and  that  he  was 
utterly  opposed  to  the  plan. 

For  this  the  said  Queen  has  always  loved  him,  and 
proved  it  by  her  treatment  of  his  children,  after  his 
death,  by  giving  them  his  entire  possessions. 

I  leave  to  your  imagination  what  such  a  sentence 
meant  to  the  Queen,  hearing  it  as  she  did  with  her  own 
ears,  and  also  whether  she  did  not  have  cause  for  fear, 
notwithstanding  her  defence  by  M.  de  Guise. 

From  what  I  have  heard  told  by  one  of  the  Queen's 
intimates,  the  Queen  feared,  as  indeed  she  had  cause  to, 
that  they  would  strike  the  blow  without  the  knowledge 
of  M.  de  Guise.  For,  in  a  deed  so  detestable,  an  up- 
right man  is  to  be  distrusted,  and  should  never  be 
informed  of  the  act.  She  was  thus  compelled  to  look 
out  for  her  own  safety,  and  to  employ  for  it  those  who 
were  already  under  arms  (the  Prince  de  Conde  and 
the  leaders  of  the  Protestant  party),  imploring  them  to 
have  pity  for  a  mother  and  her  children. 

Such  as  it  was,  this  was  the  sole  cause  of  the  Civil 
War. 

For  this  reason  she  would  never  go,  with  the  others, 
to  Orleans,  nor  allow  them  to  have  the  King  and  her 
children,  as  she  could  have  done;  and  she  felt  glad, 
and  with  reason,  that  amongst  the  uproar  and  rumour 
of  strife,  she  and  the  King,  her  son,  and  her  other 
children  were  in  safety. 

Moreover  she  begged  and  obtained  the  promise  from 
others,  that  when  she  should  summon  them  to  lay 
down  their  arms  that  they  would  do  so,  but  this  they 
would  not  do  when  the  time  came,  notwithstanding  the 
appeals  she  made  to  them,  and  the  trouble  she  took, 
and  the  great  heat  she  endured  at  Talsy,  trying  to 
induce  them  to  listen  to  terms  of  peace  which  she  could 
have  made  favourable  and  lasting  for  France  had  they 
only  listened  to  her.  And  this  conflagration,  and 


342  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

others  which  we  have  seen  lighted  from  this  first 
brand,  would  have  been  stamped  out  forever  in 
France  had  they  but  believed  in  her.  I  know  the 
zeal  she  showed,  and  I  know  what  I  myself  have  heard 
her  say,  with  tears  in  her  eyes. 

This  is  why  they  cannot  tax  her  with  the  first  spark 
of  the  Civil  War,  nor  yet  with  the  second,  which  was 
that  day's  work  at  Meaux,  for  at  that  time  she  was 
thinking  only  of  the  hunt,  and  of  giving  pleasure  to 
the  King  at  her  beautiful  house  at  Monceaux. 

The  warning  came  that  M.  le  Prince  and  those  of 
the  Religion  were  under  arms  and  in  the  field  to  sur- 
prise and  seize  the  King  under  pretext  of  presenting  a 
request. 

God  knows  who  was  the  cause  of  this  new  dis- 
turbance, and  had  it  not  been  for  the  six  thousand 
Swiss  troops,  newly  raised,  no  one  knows  what  might 
not  have  happened. 

This  levy  of  Swiss  troops  was  the  pretext  for  them 
to  take  up  arms,  and  of  saying  and  spreading  broad- 
cast that  it  was  done  to  force  them  into  war. 

But  it  was  they  themselves  who  requested  this 
levy  of  troops  from  the  King  and  Queen,  as  I  know 
from  being  then  at  Court,  on  account  of  the  march  of 
the  Duke  of  Alva  and  his  army,  fearing  that,  under 
pretext  of  marching  on  Flanders,  he  might  descend 
upon  the  frontiers  of  France,  and  besides  urging  that 
it  was  always  the  custom  to  strengthen  the  frontiers 
whenever  a  neighbouring  state  was  arming. 

No  one  can  be  uniformed  of  how  urgently  they 
pressed  this  upon  the  King  and  Queen,  both  by  letters 
and  by  embassies.  Even  M.  le  Prince  himself  and 
M.  1'Admiral  (Coligny)  came  to  see  the  King  on  this 
subject,  at  Saint-Germain-en-Laye,  where  I  saw  them. 

I  should  also  like  to  ask  (for  all  that  I  write  here 
I  saw  myself),  who  it  was  who  took  up  arms  on 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  343 

Shrove  Tuesday,  and  who  bribed  and  begged  Monsieur, 
the  King's  brother,  and  the  King  of  Navarre  to  listen 
to  the  schemes  for  which  Mole  and  Coconas  were  exe- 
cuted in  Paris? 

It  was  not  the  Queen,  for  it  was  by  her  wisdom  that 
she  prevented  them  from  uprising,  holding  Monsieur 
and  the  King  of  Navarre  so  imprisoned  in  the  forest 
of  Vincennes  that  they  could  not  break  out,  and  on 
the  death  of  King  Charles  she  held  them  as  tightly  in 
Paris  and  the  Louvre,  even  barring  their  windows  one 
morning — at  least  those  of  the  King  of  Navarre,  who 
was  lodged  on  the  lower  floor  (this  I  know  from  the 
King  of  Navarre,  who  told  it  me  with  tears  in  his 
eyes),  and  kept  such  strict  \vatch  over  them  that  they 
could  not  escape  as  they  intended. 

Their  escape  would  have  greatly  embroiled  the  state 
and  prevented  the  return  of  Poland  to  the  King,  a 
thing  for  which  they  were  striving. 

I  know  this  from  having  been  invited  to  the  fracas, 
which  was  one  of  the  finest  strokes  of  policy  ever  made 
by  the  Queen. 

Starting  from  Paris,  she  carried  them  to  the  King 
at  Lyons  so  watchfully  and  skilfully  that  no  one  who 
saw  them  would  think  that  they  were  prisoners. 

They  journeyed  in  the  same  coach  with  her,  and 
she  herself  presented  them  to  the  King,  who  pardoned 
them  soon  after  their  arrival. 

Again,  who  was  it  that  enticed  Monsieur,  the  King's 
brother,  to  leave  Paris  one  fine  night,  casting  off  the 
affection  of  his  brother  who  loved  him  so  much,  and 
to  take  up  arms  and  embroil  all  France? 

M.  de  La  Noue  knows  all  this,  and  the  plots  which 
began  at  the  siege  of  La  Rochelle,  and  what  I  told 
him  about  them. 

It  was  not  the  Queen  Mother,  for  on  this  open  and 
abrupt  departure  by  her  son,  she  felt  such  grief  to 


344  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

see  one  brother  banded  against  another  brother,  his 
King,  that  she  swore  she  would  die  of  grief  if  she 
could  not  reunite  them  as  they  were  before,  which 
she  accomplished.  I  have  heard  her  say  at  Blois,  in 
conversation  with  Monsieur,  that  she  prayed  for  noth- 
ing so  much  as  that  God  would  grant  the  favour  of 
this  re-union,  after  which  He  might  send  her  death 
and  she  would  accept  it  with  the  best  of  heart.  Or 
else  she  would  retire  to  her  houses  of  Monceaux  and 
Chenonceaux  and  never  again  meddle  with  the  affairs 
of  France,  willing  to  end  her  days  in  tranquillity. 

In  fact  she  really  wished  to  do  this,  but  the  King 
begged  her  to  refrain,  for  both  he  and  his  kingdom 
had  great  need  of  her. 

I  am  assured  that  had  she  not  gained  peace  by  this 
re-union,  all  would  have  been  up  with  France,  for 
there  were  then  fifty  thousand  foreigners  scattered 
over  France  who  would  have  gladly  helped  to  humble 
and  destroy  her. 

It  was  not,  therefore,  the  Queen  who  brought  about 
this  taking  up  of  arms,  nor  was  it  the  State  Assembly 
at  Blois,  who  wanted  but  one  religion  and  proposed 
to  abolish  all  contrary  to  their  own,  and  who  de- 
manded that,  if  the  spiritual  sword  did  not  suffice  to 
abolish  it,  recourse  should  be  had  to  the  temporal. 

Some  have  stated  that  the  Queen  bribed  them;  this 
was  wrong,  for  in  each  province  there  were  authorities 
who  would  not  have  yielded  to  her  wishes.  I  do  not 
say  that  she  did  not  win  them  over  later;  that  was  a 
fine  stroke  of  policy,  showing  her  resourcefulness. 
But  it  was  not  she  who  summoned  the  Assembly.  On 
the  contrary,  she  laid  all  the  blame  on  it,  because  it 
lessened  both  the  King's  authority  and  her  own.  It 
was  the  Church  party  which  had  long  demanded  the 
Assembly,  and  voluntarily  called  it  together,  and  re- 
quired by  the  articles  of  the  last  peace  that  it  should 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  345 

be  convened  and  held;  to  which  the  Queen  strongly 
objected,  foreseeing  this  abuse  of  power.  Nevertheless, 
to  quiet  their  incessant  clamour,  they  were  allowed  to 
convoke  it,  to  their  own  confusion  and  injury,  not  to 
their  profit  and  contentment  as  they  had  thought ;  and 
for  this  reason  they  resorted  to  arms.  Again  it  was 
not  the  Queen  who  did  so. 

Neither  was  it  she  who  caused  certain  of  them  to  be 
seized  when  they  captured  Mont-de-Marsan,  La  Fere 
in  Picardy,  and  Cahors.  I  recall  what  the  King  said 
to  M.  de  Moissans,  who  came  to  him  on  behalf  of  the 
King  of  Navarre.  He  repulsed  him  roughly,  telling 
him  that  while  these  men  were  cajoling  him  with  fine 
speeches,  they  were  taking  up  arms  and  seizing  cities. 

This,  then,  is  the  way  in  which  the  Queen  was  the 
fomenter  of  all  our  wars  and  civil  fires,  the  which  she 
not  only  did  not  light  but  employed  all  her  energies 
and  efforts  to  extinguish,  abhorring  to  see  the  death  of 
so  many  nobles  and  landed  gentlemen.  And  without 
that  and  her  commiseration,  those  who  bore  against 
her  a  mortal  enmity  would  have  found  themselves  in 
dire  straits,  themselves  laid  beneath  the  sod,  and  their 
party  not  flourishing  as  it  now  is.  All  this  must  be 
imputed  to  her  goodness  of  heart,  of  which  we  now 
stand  in  sore  need — so  everybody  agrees  and  the  poor 
people  cry :  "We  no  longer  have  the  Queen  Mother  to 
make  peace  for  us !"  It  was  not  through  lack  of  her 
efforts  that  she  did  not  succeed  when  she  went  to 
Guienne  recently  to  treat  for  peace,  at  Coignac  and 
Jarnac,  with  the  King  of  Navarre  and  the  Prince  de 
Conde.  I  know  that  which  I  have  witnessed — the  tears 
in  her  eyes  and  the  regret  in  her  heart  to  which  these 
princes  would  not  yield ;  and  the  result  we  possibly  see 
in  the  evils  which  afflict  us  to-day. 

They  have  wished  to  accuse  her  of  having  been  im- 
plicated in  the  War  of  the  League.  Why,  then,  should 


346  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

she  have  undertaken  to  conclude  the  peace  I  have  just 
mentioned,  if  she  had  been?  Why  should  she  have 
appeased  the  riots  of  the  barricades  of  Paris ;  and  why 
reconciled  the  King  with  the  Due  de  Guise,  as  we  have 
seen,  if  it  were  only  to  destroy  the  latter? 

In  short,  no  matter  how  much  they  slander  her, 
never  shall  we  have  in  France  another  so  active  in 
peace. 

But  the  chief  accusation  against  her  is  the  massacre 
of  Paris  [of  Saint  Bartholomew].  All  that  is  a  sealed 
book  to  me,  for  I  was  just  then  setting  out  by  boat 
from  Brouage;  but  I  have  heard  it  said  on  good  au- 
thority that  she  was  not  the  prime  mover  in  it.  Three 
or  four  others,  whom  I  might  name,  were  much  more 
active  in  it  than  she,  pushing  her  forward  and  making 
her  believe,  from  threats  made  upon  the  wounding  of 
Admiral  Coligny,  that  the  King  was  to  be  killed,  with 
herself  and  all  her  children,  or  else  that  the  country 
was  to  be  still  worse  involved  in  arms.  Certainly  the 
Church  party  were  very  wrong  to  utter  such  threats 
as  they  are  said  to  have  made,  for  they  hastened  the 
downward  steps  of  the  poor  Admiral  and  procured 
his  death.  If  they  had  kept  their  own  counsel  and 
uttered  no  word,  and  allowed  the  Admiral's  wounds  to 
heal,  he  could  have  left  Paris  in  safety  and  quiet,  and 
nothing  else  would  have  happened.  M.  de  La  Noue 
has  been  strongly  of  this  opinion.  Indeed,  he  and 
M.  de  Strozze  and  I  have  talked  it  over  more  than 
once,  and  he  has  never  approved  the  bravados,  the  bold 
threats  and  the  like  which  were  openly  made  in  the 
King's  Court  and  his  city  of  Paris.  And  he  blamed 
no  less  strongly  his  brother-in-law,  M.  de  Theligny, 
who  was  one  of  the  hottest  heads  of  them  all,  calling 
him  a  downright  fool  and  blockhead.  The  Admiral 
never  was  guilty  of  this  loud  talk,  at  least  not  in  public. 
I  do  not  say  that  in  secret  or  with  his  closest  friends 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  347 

he  did  not  say  things.  And  this  was  the  true  cause 
of  his  death  and  of  the  massacre  of  his  friends,  and 
not  the  Queen,  as  was  charged,  although  there  are  many 
who  never  have  been  able  to  get  the  idea  out  of  their 
heads  that  this  was  a  train  long  laid  and  a  fuse  well 
concealed.  It  is  false.  The  least  passionate  agree  with 
me,  and  the  more  violent  and  obstinate  think  other- 
wise ;  and  thus  very  often  we  credit  to  kings  and  great 
princes  the  ordering  of  the  natural  course  of  events, 
and  say  afterwards  how  prudent  and  provident  they 
were  and  how  well  they  could  dissimulate;  when 
all  the  while  they  knew  nothing  more  about  it  than 
a  plum. 

To  return  again  to  the  Queen,  her  enemies  have 
given  it  out  that  she  was  not  a  good  Frenchwoman. 
God  knows  with  what  zeal  she  urged  that  the  English 
be  driven  from  Havre  de  Grace,  and  what  she  said 
about  it  to  M.  le  Prince,  and  how  she  made  him  go, 
with  many  cavaliers  of  his  party,  with  the  crown-com- 
panies of  M.  Andelot,  and  other  Huguenots,  and  how 
she  herself  led  this  army,  usually  on  horseback,  like 
a  second  beautiful  Queen  Marfisa,  exposing  herself  to 
the  arquebusades  and  the  cannonades  like  one  of  her 
captains,  always  watching  the  batteries,  and  saying 
that  she  would  never  be  at  ease  until  she  had  taken 
this  city,  and  driven  the  English  out  of  France,  and 
hating  worse  than  poison  those  who  had  sold  it  to 
them.  And  she  accomplished  so  much  that  finally  she 
restored  it  to  France. 

When  Rouen  was  besieged  I  saw  her  in  the  greatest 
of  fury,  when  she  saw  enter  English  reinforcements, 
by  means  of  a  French  galley  captured  the  year  before, 
fearing  that  this  place,  failing  to  be  captured  by  us, 
might  fall  into  the  control  of  the  English.  For  this 
reason  she  "pushed  hard  at  the  wheel,"  as  the  saying 
is,  to  capture  it,  and  never  failed  to  come  each  day  to 


348  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  fort  Sainte-Catherine  to  hold  council  and  to  watch 
the  bombardment. 

I  have  often  seen  her  passing  along  the  covered  way 
to  Sainte-Catherine,  while  the  arquebusades  and  can- 
nonades rained  shot  around  her,  and  her  paying  no 
attention  to  them.  Those  who  were  there  saw  it  as 
well  as  I.  There  are  living  to-day  ladies  who  accom- 
panied her,  to  whom  the  firing  was  not  pleasant  (I 
know  this  for  I  saw  them  there),  and  when  M.  le 
Connetable  and  M.  le  Guise  remonstrated  with  her,  tell- 
ing her  some  accident  might  happen  to  her,  she  merely 
laughed  and  said  that  she  saw  no  reason  why  she 
should  spare  herself  more  than  they,  since  her  courage 
Was  as  good  as  theirs,  although  her  sex  had  denied 
her  the  same  strength.  As  for  hardship,  she  endured 
that  very  well,  either  on  foot  or  horseback.  I  think 
that  for  a  long  time  there  never  was  a  better  queen 
or  princess  on  horseback,  nor  one  who  sat  her  mount 
with  better  grace;  not  seeming  for  all  that  like  a 
masculine  woman,  formed  like  some  fantastic  Amazon, 
but  a  noble  princess,  beautiful,  gracious  and  sweet. 

It  was  said  of  her  that  she  was  strongly  Spanish. 
Certainly  while  her  good  daughter  was  alive  [Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  Philip  II  of  Spain]  she  loved  the  Span- 
ish. But  after  her  daughter  died  we  knew — at  least 
some  of  us — whether  she  had  cause  to  love  either  the 
land  or  the  people.  It  is  true  that  she  was  always  so 
prudent  that  she  desired  to  receive  the  Spanish  King 
always  as  a  good  son-in-law,  to  the  end  that  he  should 
treat  her  daughter  the  better,  as  is  the  way  with  good 
mothers ;  and  also  that  he  might  never  come  to  trouble 
us  in  France,  nor  make  war  here  according  to  his  war- 
like tastes  and  natural  ambition. 

Others  have  charged  that  she  never  liked  the  nobles 
of  France  and  was  always  glad  to  shed  their  blood.  I 
refute  that  by  the  many  times  she  made  peace  and 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  349 

spared  bloodshed;  and  in  addition  to  this  one  should 
take  notice  of  the  fact  that  while  she  was  Regent  and 
her  children  in  their  minority,  there  were  not  seen  at 
Court  so  many  quarrels  and  duels  as  we  have  seen 
since,  for  she  would  not  countenance  them,  giving  ex- 
press orders  against  such  things  and  punishing  those 
who  disobeyed  her.  At  other  times,  I  have  often  seen 
her  at  Court  when  the  King  had  gone  away  for  some 
time  leaving  her  absolutely  alone,  at  a  time  when  quar- 
rels were  rife  and  duels  common — which  she  never 
would  permit — I  have  seen  her  suddenly  give  orders  to 
the  captain  of  the  guards  to  make  arrests,  and  to  the 
marshals  and  officers  to  regulate  all  such  quarrels;  so 
that,  to  speak  the  truth,  she  was  more  feared  than  the 
King,  for  she  well  knew  how  to  deal  with  the  dis- 
obedient and  unruly  and  could  reprimand  them 
severely. 

I  remember  once,  when  the  King  had  gone  to  the 
baths  at  Bourbon,  that  my  late  cousin  La  Chastaign- 
erie  had  a  quarrel  with  Pardailhan.  She  sent  to  seek 
him,  warning  him  on  his  life  not  to  fight  a  duel;  but 
being  unable  to  find  him  for  two  whole  days  she  had 
him  shadowed  so  well  that,  on  a  Sunday  morning,  the 
Grand  Provost  found  him  on  the  island  of  Louviers, 
where  he  was  awaiting  his  enemy,  arrested  him  there, 
and  took  him  as  a  prisoner  to  the  Bastille,  by  the 
Queen's  orders.  But  he  remained  there  only  overnight, 
and  then  she  sent  for  him  and  gave  him  a  reprimand 
partly  sharp,  partly  gentle,  for  she  was  naturally  of 
good  heart,  and  harsh  only  when  she  wished  to  be. 
I  know  very  well  what  she  said  to  me  also,  inasmuch 
as  I  was  to  be  my  cousin's  second :  that  as  I  was  older 
I  ought  to  know  better. 

The  year  that  the  King  returned  from  Poland,  a 
quarrel  began  between  De  Grillon  and  D'Entaigues, 
both  brave  and  valiant  gentlemen,  who  being  called 


350  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

out  and  ready  to  fight,  the  King  gave  orders  for  their 
arrest  of  M.  de  Rambouillet,  one  of  his  Captains  of  the 
Guards  on  duty;  and  also  ordered  M.  de  Nevers  and 
Marshal  de  Retz  to  reconcile  the  two  men,  which  they 
failed  to  do.  The  Queen  thereupon  summoned  them 
both,  that  evening,  to  her  room;  and  as  their  quarrel 
was  in  regard  to  two  great  ladies  of  her  household, 
she  commanded  them  sternly  and  then  besought  them 
gently  to  leave  to  her  the  settlement  of  their  differ- 
ences ;  for  since  she  had  done  them  the  honour  to  med- 
dle in  it,  and  the  princes,  marshals,  and  captains  had 
failed  to  bring  them  together,  she  wished  to  have  the 
credit  and  honour  for  so  doing.  By  this  means  she  made 
them  friends,  and  they  embraced  unreservedly,  taking 
all  from  her;  so  that  by  her  prudence  the  subject  of 
the  quarrel,  which  touched  upon  the  honour  of  the  two 
ladies  and  was  rather  delicate,  was  never  known  pub- 
licly. This  shows  the  great  goodness  of  the  Princess ! 
And  then  to  charge  that  she  never  liked  the  nobility! 
Ha!  If  the  truth  were  known  she  liked  and  esteemed 
it  too  much.  I  believe  that  there  was  not  a  house  in 
her  kingdom  with  whom  she  was  not  personally  ac- 
quainted. It  is  said  that  she  learned  all  about  them 
from  the  great  King  Francis,  who  knew  all  the 
genealogies  of  the  great  families  of  his  kingdom; 
while  as  for  her  husband,  the  King,  he  had  this  faculty 
that  after  he  had  once  seen  a  gentleman  he  recognised 
him  ever  after,  knowing  not  only  his  face  but  also  his 
deeds  and  his  reputation.  I  have  seen  this  Queen,  fre- 
quently and  as  a  usual  thing,  when  her  son  the  King 
was  a  minor,  take  the  trouble  to  present  to  him  per- 
sonally the  gentlemen  of  his  realm,  reminding  him  that 
'This  one  has  rendered  good  service  to  the  King,  your 
grandfather,"  and  such  and  such  things  "to  the  King, 
your  father,"  and  so  on;  and  commanding  him  to  be 
mindful  of  them,  to  cherish  them,  look  after  their  in- 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  351 

terests,  and  remember  them  by  name.  And  that  he 
heeded  her  advice  was  seen  later,  for,  through  this  in- 
struction, the  King  was  thoroughly  informed  of  the 
gentlemen  of  rank  and  honourable  race  who  resided  in 
his  kingdom. 

These  detractors  have  also  said  that  she  never  loved 
her  people.  This  does  not  appear.  Did  she  ever  levy 
as  many  taxes,  subsidies,  imposts  and  other  duties, 
while  she  directed  the  Government  during  the  minority 
of  her  children,  as  has  been  levied  since  in  a  single 
year  ?  Have  they  ever  discoverd  any  hoards  of  money 
here  or  in  the  banks  of  Italy,  as  has  been  believed? 
On  the  contrary,  after  her  death  they  never  found  a 
solitary  coin;  and  I  have  heard  some  of  her  creditors 
and  ladies  say  that  after  her  death  she  was  found  to 
be  in  debt  to  the  sum  of  eight  thousand  crowns,  the 
wages  of  her  ladies,  gentlemen,  and  officers  of  her 
household  for  an  entire  year,  and  the  income  of  a  year 
spent  in  advance;  so  that,  some  months  before  her 
death,  her  bankers  remonstrated  with  her  over  this  def- 
icit. But  she  laughed  and  said  that  one  must  praise 
God  for  everything  and  enjoy  it  while  one  was  alive. 

This,  then,  was  her  avarice,  and  the  great  wealth 
which  she  is  said  to  have  amassed.  She  never  saved 
anything,  for  she  had  a  heart  wholly  noble,  liberal  and 
magnificent,  in  every  way  the  equal  of  that  of  her 
great-uncle,  the  Pope  Leo,  and  of  the  celebrated 
Lorenzo  de  Medici.  She  spent  and  gave  everything 
away;  erecting  buildings  or  applying  it  to  memorable 
spectacles ;  and  taking  delight  in  giving  entertainments 
to  her  people  or  Court,  such  as  festivals,  balls,  dances, 
combats,  and  tourneys,  three  specially  superb  events 
being  given  during  her  lifetime.  The  first  was  at 
Fontainebleau,  a  carnival  after  the  first  troubles,  where 
there  were  tourneys,  and  breaking  of  lances,  and  com- 
bats at  the  barrier;  in  brief,  all  sorts  of  joustings,  fol- 


352  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

lowed  by  a  comedy  on  the  subject  of  the  beautiful 
Genevra  of  Ariosto  which  was  played  by  Madame 
d'Angouleme  and  her  most  beautiful  and  virtuous 
princesses  and  ladies  and  demoiselles  of  her  Court,  who 
certainly  played  it  very  well,  so  that  nothing  more 
beautiful  was  ever  seen.  The  next  was  at  Bayonne,  at 
the  interview  between  the  Queen  and  her  daughter,  the 
Queen  of  Spain,  where  the  magnificence  was  such  in  all 
things  that  the  Spaniards,  who  are  very  disdainful  of 
other  countries  besides  their  own,  swore  that  they  had 
never  seen  anything  more  splendid,  and  that  their  King 
could  hardly  rival  it ;  and  so  they  returned  home  greatly 
edified. 

I  know  that  many  in  France  blamed  this  expense 
as  quite  unnecessary.  But  the  Queen  said  she  had  done 
it  to  show  other  nations  that  France  was  not  so  totally 
ruined  and  poverty-stricken  by  reason  of  her  recent 
wars  as  was  supposed;  and  that,  since  she  was  able  to 
spend  so  much  for  frivolity,  she  would  be  able  to  do 
far  more  for  affairs  of  consequence  and  importance; 
and  that  France  was  all  the  more  to  be  esteemed  and 
feared,  whether  through  the  sight  of  so  much  wealth 
and  richness,  or  the  spectacle  of  so  great  an  array  of 
gentlemen,  so  brave  and  adroit  at  arms — for  certainly 
there  was  a  goodly  number  and  worthy  to  be  admired. 
And  so  it  was  for  good  and  sufficient  reason  that  our 
most  Christian  Queen  made  this  splendid  festival ;  for 
be  assured  that  if  she  had  not  done  so,  the  visitors 
would  have  derided  us  and  returned  home  with  a  poor 
opinion  of  France. 

A  third  exceedingly  fine  entertainment  was  given  by 
her  on  the  arrival  of  the  Polish  envoys  in  Paris,  whom 
she  dined  superbly  at  the  Tuileries;  and  afterwards  in 
a  grand  ball-room  made  especially  for  the  spectacle 
and  entirely  enclosed  by  a  countless  number  of  torches, 
she  presented  the  most  beautiful  ballet  ever  seen  on 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  353 

earth  (if  I  may  say  so),  which  comprised  sixteen  ladies 
and  demoiselles  who  were  best  suited  to  it.  They  ap- 
peared in  a  great  grotto  of  silver,  being  seated  in 
niches  and  clad  as  though  in  vapour  about  its  sides. 
These  sixteen  ladies  represented  the  sixteen  provinces 
of  France,  with  the  most  melodious  music  possible; 
and  after  having  made,  in  this  grotto,  the  round  of 
the  hall  like  a  review  of  troops,  giving  an  opportunity 
for  all  to  see  them,  they  descended  from  the  grotto 
and  formed  themselves  into  a  little  company  fantasti- 
cally arranged,  while  an  orchestra  of  thirty  violins  dis- 
coursed sweet  music,  and  marched  to  the  melody  of 
these  violins  by  a  beautiful  dance  step,  approaching 
and  halting  before  their  majesties.  After  this  they 
danced  their  ballet,  so  fantastically  invented,  with  so 
many  turns  and  convolutions,  twinings  and  twistings, 
in  which  no  lady  failed  to  find  her  own  place  again, 
that  all  the  spectators  were  amazed  at  the  accuracy 
and  grace  of  the  evolutions.  This  unique  ballet  lasted 
for  at  least  an  hour,  after  which  the  ladies  represent- 
ing, as  I  have  said,  the  sixteen  provinces  advanced  to 
the  King,  the  Queen,  the  King  of  Poland,  Monsieur 
his  brother,  the  King  and  Queen  of  Navarre,  and  other 
notables  of  France  and  Poland,  tendering  to  each  a 
golden  salver  as  large  as  the  palm  of  the  hand,  finely 
enamelled  and  engraved,  showing  the  fruits  and  prod- 
ucts peculiar  to  each  province,  as  for  example:  In 
Provence,  citrons  and  oranges ;  in  Champagne,  cereals ; 
in  Burgundy,  wines;  in  Guienne,  soldiers — certainly 
a  great  honour  to  Guienne! — and  so  on  through  the 
various  other  provinces. 

At  Bayonne  similar  gifts  were  bestowed,  and  a  com- 
bat was  fought  which  I  would  willingly  describe,  but 
it  would  take  too  much  space.  But  at  Bayonne  the 
men  presented  gifts  to  the  ladies,  while  here  it  was 
the  ladies  giving  to  the  men.  And  note  that  all  these 


354  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

inventions  were  derived  from  no  other  bounty  and 
brain  than  that  of  the  Queen.  She  was  mistress  and 
deviser  of  everything.  She  had  such  a  knack  that,  no 
matter  what  spectacles  were  offered  at  Court,  hers 
surpassed  all  the  others.  So  they  had  a  saying  that 
only  the  Queen  Mother  knew  how  to  do  fine  things. 
And  if  such  shows  were  expensive,  they  also  gave  great 
pleasure,  and  people  used  to  say  that  she  wished  to 
imitate  the  Roman  emperors,  who  studied  how  to  ex- 
hibit games  to  the  people  and  give  them  pleasure,  and 
so  amuse  them  that  they  had  no  time  to  get  into 
mischief. 

In  addition  to  the  fact  that  she  delighted  to  give 
pleasure  to  her  people,  she  gave  them  much  money  to 
earn;  for  she  greatly  preferred  all  kinds  of  skilled 
workmen  and  paid  them  well.  Each  was  kept  busy  at 
his  own  work,  so  that  they  never  lacked  employment, 
especially  masons  and  architects,  as  will  be  seen  in  her 
beautiful  mansions — the  Tuileries  (still  unfinished), 
Saint  Maur,  Monceaux,  and  Chenonceaux.  Also  she 
favoured  men  of  genius  and  gladly  read,  or  had  read  to 
her,  the  works  which  they  presented  to  her  or  which 
she  knew  they  had  written,  even  the  high-flown  in- 
vectives which  they  launched  against  her,  at  which  she 
scoffed  and  laughed,  but  took  no  other  notice  of,  call- 
ing the  writers  prattlers  and  penny-liners. 

She  wished  to  know  everything.  On  the  journey 
to  Lorraine,  during  the  second  uprising,  the  Huguenots 
took  with  them  a  very  fine  culverin  which  they  nick- 
named the  "queen  mother."  They  were  obliged  to 
bury  it  at  Villenozze  as  they  were  unable  to  drag  it 
further  because  of  its  excessive  weight  and  poor  har- 
ness ;  and  they  were  never  able  to  find  it  again.  The 
Queen  Mother  was  curious  to  know  why  they  had 
named  the  gun  for  her,  when  she  heard  about  it. 
Finally  some  one,  after  being  strongly  pressed  by  her 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  355 

for  the  reason,  replied :  "Because,  Madame,  she  has 
a  greater  calibre  and  is  larger  than  any  of  the  others." 
The  Queen  was  the  first  to  laugh  at  this  reply. 

The  Queen  spared  no  pains  to  read  anything  which 
struck  her  fancy.  On  one  occasion  I  saw  her  embark- 
ing at  Blaye  on  her  way  to  dine  at  Bourg,  and  occupy- 
ing the  whole  journey  by  reading  from  a  parchment, 
like  some  reporter  or  lawyer,  a  deposition  made  by 
Derdois,  favourite  secretary  of  the  late  M.  le  Connet- 
able,  concerning  certain  actions  and  information  of 
which  he  had  been  accused  and  for  which  imprisoned 
at  Bayonne.  She  never  lifted  her  eyes  until  she  had 
finished  reading  the  whole  thing,  and  there  were  more 
than  ten  pages  of  it.  When  she  was  not  prevented 
she  herself  read  all  letters  of  importance  addressed  to 
her,  and  often  wrote  the  reply  with  her  own  hand, 
whether  to  the  most  exalted  or  insignificant  person. 
I  saw  her  once,  after  dinner,  indite  twenty  such  letters 
of  considerable  length. 

She  wrote  and  spoke  French  very  well,  although  an 
Italian.  She  even  addressed  those  of  her  own  nation 
often  in  French,  so  much  did  she  honour  it,  making 
special  effort  to  exhibit  its  fine  diction  to  strangers  and 
ambassadors  who  came  to  pay  her  their  respects  after 
seeing  the  King.  She  would  reply  to  them  very 
pertinently,  with  grace  and  dignity,  just  as  I  have 
heard  her  speak  to  the  courts  of  parliament  both  pub- 
licly and  privately;  often  keeping  them  well  in  hand 
when  they  were  extravagant  or  over-cautious,  and  did 
not  wish  to  yield  to  the  royal  edicts  or  to  the  wishes 
of  the  King  or  herself.  You  may  be  sure  that  she 
spoke  as  a  Queen  and  made  herself  feared  as  such. 
I  saw  her  once  at  Bordeaux  when  she  took  her  daugh- 
ter, the  Queen  of  Navarre,  to  h'er  husband.  She  had 
commanded  the  Court  to  come  with  her  and  spoke 
urgently  on  the  subject  to  these  gentlemen,  who  did 

Memoirs— 12  Vol.  1 


356  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

not  wish  to  abolish  a  certain  fraternity  which  they  had 
founded  and  adhered  to,  and  which  she  wished  to  dis- 
solve, foreseeing-  that  it  might  lead  to  some  end 
prejudicial  to  the  state.  They  came  to  visit  her  in 
the  Bishop's  garden,  where  she  was  walking  one  Sun- 
day morning-.  One  of  them,  the  spokesman,  showed  to 
her  the  usefulness  of  this  fraternity  and  its  good 
offices  for  the  people.  She,  without  preparation,  re- 
sponded so  well,  with  such  apt  words  and  cogent  rea- 
sons to  show  why  it  was  badly  founded  and  odious, 
that  there  was  none  present  who  could  help  but  admire 
the  spirit  of  the  Queen  or  remain  astonished  and  con- 
fused at  her  logic.  She  concluded  with  these  words: 
"No,  I  wish  it,  and  the  King-  my  son  wishes  that  this 
order  shall  be  abolished  and  that  the  subject  may  never 
again  be  discussed,  for  secret  reasons  which  I  shall  not 
give  you,  in  addition  to  those  which  I  have  given; 
otherwise  I  shall  make  you  sensible  of  what  it  means  to 
disobey  the  King  and  me."  After  that  they  all  went 
their  way,  and  nothing  more  was  heard  of  the  matter. 

She  assumed  this  manner  very  often  and  kept  in  line 
the  princes  and  haughty  lords  when  they  had  com- 
mitted some  large  indiscretion  and  made  her  angry. 
Then  she  put  on  her  grandest  air,  and  no  other  living 
person  could  be  so  proud  and  disdainful  as  she,  when 
it  was  necessary,  sparing  the  truth  to  no  one.  I  have 
seen  the  late  M.  de  Savoie,  who  was  a  friend  of  the 
Emperor,  the  King  of  Spain,  and  many  notables,  fear 
and  respect  her  more  than  if  she  had  been  his  mother; 
and  M.  de  Lorraine  the  same — in  short,  all  the  great 
people  of  Christendom.  I  could  cite  many  instances, 
which  at  another  time  and  in  their  own  place  I  may 
do,  but  at  present  what  I  have  said  will  suffice. 

Among  all  her  other  fine  qualities,  she  was  a  good 
Christian  and  very  devout,  always  observing  her  fast 
days  and  never  failing  to  attend  daily  service,  either 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  357 

mass  or  vespers,  which  she  made  very  agreeable  to 
worshippers  by  the  good  singers  in  her  chapel,  being 
careful  to  select  the  finest  artists.  She  had  a  natural 
taste  for  music  and  often  entertained  the  Court  in  her 
own  apartment,  which  was  never  closed  to  right- 
minded  ladies  and  gentlemen.  She  saw  each  and  every 
one,  not  denying  admittance  as  was  the  custom  in 
Spain  and  also  in  her  own  country,  Italy;  nor  yet  as 
our  other  Queens,  Elizabeth  of  Austria  and  Louise  of 
Lorraine,  have  done ;  but  saying,  like  King  Francis,  her 
father-in-law,  whom  she  greatly  honoured  as  he  had 
raised  her  to  her  high  position,  that  she  wished  to 
maintain  the  true  French  spirit  as  the  King  her 
husband  had  also  desired.  So  her  rooms  were  always 
accessible  to  the  Court. 

Generally,  she  had  very  beautiful  and  virtuous  maids 
of  honour,  who  could  be  seen  every  day  in  her  ante- 
chamber chatting  with  us  and  entertaining  us  so 
sensibly  and  modestly  that  none  of  us  would  have 
dared  do  otherwise;  for  the  gentlemen  who  fell  short 
of  this  were  denied  admittance,  or  warned  of  even 
worse  punishment,  until  she  pardoned  them  and  ex- 
tended her  favour  again,  which  out  of  her  good  heart 
she  was  ready  to  do. 

In  a  word,  her  company  and  her  Court  were  a  real 
Paradise  in  this  world,  and  a  school  of  honesty  and 
virtue,  the  ornament  of  France,  as  was  well  known 
and  spoken  of  by  its  visitors;  for  they  were  all  well 
received,  and  in  their  honour  her  ladies  were  com- 
manded to  adorn  themselves  like  goddesses  and  devote 
themselves  to  these  guests  instead  of  elsewhere ;  other- 
wise she  would  scold  and  reprimand  them  severely. 

Indeed,  such  was  her  Court,wthat  when  she  died  all 
said  that  we  would  never  have" such  another,  and  that 
never  again  would  France  have  a  real  Queen  Mother. 
What  a  Court  it  was !  Its  equal,  I  believe,  was  never 


358  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

held  by  an  Emperor  of  Rome,  in  respect  to  its  ladies, 
nor  by  any  of  our  Kings  of  France.  It  is  true  that  the 
great  Emperor  Charlemagne  took  great  delight  in 
maintaining  a  splendid  and  overflowing  Court,  with 
many  peers,  dukes,  counts,  paladins,  barons,  and 
chevaliers  of  France,  with  their  wives  and  daughters, 
and  many  from  other  countries  to  keep  their  company 
at  Court — as  we  read  in  many  of  the  old  romances  of 
the  time — and  that  there  were  many  jousts,  tourneys 
and  magnificent  pageants.  But  what  of  that?  These 
gorgeous  assemblages  did  not  come  together  more 
than  three  or  four  times  a  year,  and  at  their  close  they 
departed  and  retired  to  their  own  estates,  to  remain 
until  the  next  time.  Moreover,  others  say  that 
Charlemagne  in  his  old  age  was  much  given  to 
women,  although  they  were  always  of  good  family, 
and  that  Louis  the  Debonair  on  ascending  the  throne 
was  obliged  to  banish  some  of  his  sisters  from  Court, 
by  reason  of  scandalous  love  affairs  which  they  had 
with  men;  and  also  that  he  dismissed  a  large  number 
of  ladies  who  were  of  the  joyous  band.  These  courts, 
moreover,  of  Charlemagne  were  never  long  main- 
tained in  comparison  to  his  long  reign,  for  he  was 
chiefly  devoted  to  his  wars,  as  we  read  in  the  old 
romances;  and  in  his  old  age  the  Court  was  too  dis- 
solute, as  I  have  said.  But  the  Court  of  our  King, 
Henry  II,  and  the  Queen  his  wife,  was  an  established 
thing  both  in  war  and  peace,  and  whether  held  in  one 
place  or  another  for  months  at  a  time,  either  in  the 
pleasure  houses  or  castles  of  our  kings  who  were 
never  lacking  in  them,  having  more  than  any  other 
sovereigns.  This  elegant  and  distinguished  company 
always  kept  together,  at  least  for  the  greater  part  of 
the  time,  going  and  coming  with  the  Queen;  so  that 
as  a  usual  thing  her  Court  contained  at  least  three 
hundred  ladies  and  maids  of  honour. 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  359 

The  chiefs  of  households  and  royal  stewards  af- 
firmed that  they  always  occupied  at  least  one-half  of 
all  the  apartments,  as  I  myself  have  seen  during-  the 
thirty-three  years  that  I  lived  at  Court,  except  during 
time  of  war,  or  while  in  foreign  countries.  But  upon 
my  return  I  was  habitually  there,  for  life  there  was 
most  agreeable  to  me,  and  I  never  saw  anything  so 
attractive  elsewhere.  And  I  think  that  the  world, 
since  then,  has  never  seen  its  equal;  and  as  the  list 
of  those  fair  dames  who  assisted  our  Queen  to  orna- 
ment the  Court  should  not  be  slighted,  I  shall  mention 
some  of  them  here  as  they  occur  to  me,  whom  I  saw 
after  the  Queen's  marriage  and  during  her  widowhood. 
Before  that  time  I  was  too  young. 

First  of  all,  there  were  Mesdames,  the  daughters  of 
France  [the  Royal  Princesses].  I  head  the  list  with 
them  because  they  never  lost  their  high  rank,  and  be- 
long before  all  the  others,  so  grand  and  noble  was 
their  house,  viz. :  Madame  Elizabeth  of  France,  after- 
wards Queen  of  Spain. 

Madame  Claude,  since  Duchess  of  Lorraine. 

Madame  Marguerite,  afterwards  Queen  of  Navarre. 

Madame,  the  King's  sister,  afterwards  Duchess  of 
Savoie. 

Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  afterwards  Dauphiness  and 
Queen  of  France. 

The  Queen  of  Navarre,  Jeanne  d'Albret. 

Madame  Catharine,  her  daughter,  now  Madame,  the 
King's  sister. 

Madame  Diane,  natural  daughter  of  King  Henry 
II,  afterwards  legitimatised  and  made  Duchess  d'An- 
gouleme. 

Madame  D'Enghien,  heiress  of  Estouteville. 

Madame  the  Princess  of  C®nde. 

Madame  de  Nevers. 

Madame  de  Guise. 


360  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

Madame  Diane  de  Poitiers  [the  King's  favourite]. 

Mesdames,  the  Duchesses  d'Aumale  and  de  Bouil- 
lon, and  their  daughters. 

Madame  de  Montpensier.1 

But  why  name  any  others?  No,  for  my  memory 
could  not  supply  them  all.  Indeed,  there  are  so  many 
other  ladies  and  maidens  that  I  beg  of  them  to  excuse 
me  if  I  pass  them  by  with  a  stroke  of  the  pen.  Not 
that  I  do  not  hold  and  esteem  them  highly,  but  I  should 
dream  over  them  and  devote  myself  to  them  too  much. 
I  will  say,  to  conclude  this,  that  in  all  this  company  I 
can  name  none  who  might  be  found  fault  with,  for 
beauty  abounded  everywhere,  and  all  was  majesty, 
gentleness  and  grace.  Lucky  was  the  man  who  might 
be  touched  with  the  love  of  such  fair  ones,  and  very 
lucky  he  who  could  escape  it.  I  swear  to  you  that  I 
have  named  none  who  were  not  very  beautiful,  agree- 
able and  accomplished,  and  so  endowed  as  to  fire  the 
whole  world  with  passion.  Indeed,  some  of  them  in 
their  zenith  did  set  fire  to  a  good  part  of  it,  including 
those  of  us  gentlemen  of  the  Court  who  approached 
too  close  to  the  flames.  Also  to  many  were  they  sweet, 
amiable,  favourable,  and  courteous.  I  allude  now  to 
certain  ones  of  whom  I  wish  to  relate  good  stories  in 
this  book  before  I  have  ended  it,  and  of  others  who 
are  not  included.  But  all  will  be  told  so  quietly  and 
without  scandal  that  none  can  take  offence,  for  the 
curtain  of  silence  will  cover  their  names;  so  that  if 
any  of  them  should  happen  to  read  stories  of  them- 
selves they  will  not  be  displeased.  For  although  the 
pleasures  of  love  cannot  last  forever,  on  account  of  too 
many  hindrances,  accidents  and  changes,  the  memories 
of  past  joys  delight  us  none  the  less. 

1  The  author  here  continues  with  a  long  catalogue  of  names  in- 
cluding some  one  hundred  and  fifty  other  ladies  of  the  Court, 
belonging  to  various  noble  houses  of  France. 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  361 

Now,  in -order  to  give  proper  consideration  to  them, 
it  would  be  necessary  to  see  for  oneself  all  this  lovely 
array  of  dames  and  demoiselles,  creatures  more  divine 
than  human;  it  would  be  necessary  to  represent  them 
in  their  entrances  into  Paris  and  other  cities,  or  at 
the  holy  and  splendid  nuptials  of  the  royal  family — 
such  as  those  of  the  Dauphin,  King  Charles,  King 
Henry  III,  the  King  of  Spain,  Madame  de  Lorraine, 
the  Queen  of  Navarre,  as  well  as  other  grand  weddings 
of  princes  and  princesses,  such  as  that  of  M.  de 
Joyeuse,  which  would  have  surpassed  them  all  if  the 
Queen  of  Navarre  had  been  present.  Nor  must  we 
forget  the  interview  at  Bayonne,  the  Polish  embassy, 
and  an  infinite  number  of  similar  spectacles  which  I 
should  never  be  able  to  finish  counting,  where  could 
be  seen  an  array  of  these  ladies,  each  seemingly  more 
beautiful  than  the  rest,  and  some  more  handsomely 
apparelled  than  others,  since  at  such  festivities,  in  ad- 
dition to  their  own  wealth,  the  King  or  the  Queen 
gave  them  splendid  liveries  of  different  kinds. 

In  a  word,  no  one  ever  saw  anything  finer,  more 
dazzling,  attractive,  superb.  The  glory  of  Niquee 
[in  the  enchanted  palace  of  "Amadis"]  never  ap- 
proached it;  for  one  could  see  all  this  glowing  in  the 
ballrooms  at  the  Palace  or  the  Louvre,  like  the  stars 
of  heaven  in  the  clear  sky.  The  Queen  desired  and 
commanded  that  they  should  always  appear  in  lovely 
and  expensive  apparel,  although  she  herself,  during  her 
widowhood,  never  dressed  in  worldly  silks,  unless  of 
subdued  tints,  but  always  in  good  taste  and  well- 
fitting,  so  that  she  looked  the  Queen  above  all  others. 
It  is  true  that  on  the  wedding  days  of  her  sons  Charles 
and  Henry  she  wore  robes  of  black  velvet,  wishing,  she 
said,  to  solemnise  these  occasions  in  this  way  beyond 
all  others.  But  while  her  husband  the  King  was  alive, 
she  dressed  very  richly  and  superbly,  and  looked  the 


362  THE  MEMOIRS  OF 

great  lady  that  she  was.  It  was  a  privilege  to  see 
and  admire  her,  in  the  general  processions  which  were 
held  both  at  Paris  and  elsewhere,  such  as  that  of  the 
Fete  Dieu,  and  that  of  Palm  Sunday,  carrying  palms 
and  torches  with  such  grace,  and  that  of  Candlemas 
Day,  when  all  carried  lighted  candles  whose  flame  vied 
with  their  own  splendour.  In  these  three  processions, 
which  are  the  most  noteworthy,  assuredly  one  could 
see  nothing  but  beauty,  grace,  noble  bearing,  stately 
marching  and  fine  array — at  sight  of  which  all  the  by- 
standers were  spellbound. 

It  was  also  a  fine  sight  in  the  earlier  days  to  see  the 
Queen  going  about  in  her  litter,  or  on  horseback,  when 
she  was  attended  by  forty  or  fifty  ladies  all  well 
mounted  on  handsome  steeds  finely  caparisoned  and 
sitting  their  mounts  with  such  ease  that  the  men  could 
not  exceed  them,  either  in  horsemanship  or  accoutre- 
ment. Their  hats  were  richly  decorated  with  plumes 
which  floated  back  in  the  air  seeming  to  offer  a  chal- 
lenge of  love  or  war.  Virgil,  who  attempted  to  write 
of  the  beautiful  apparel  of  Queen  Dido  when  she  went 
hunting,  does  not  rival  in  description  the  luxury  of  our 
Queen  and  her  ladies,  whom  I  do  not  wish  to  displease, 
as  I  have  already  said. 

This  Queen,  established  by  the  hand  of  the  great 
King  Francis,  who  introduced  this  beautiful  pag- 
eantry, did  not  wish  to  forget  or  neglect  anything  that 
she  ever  learned,  but  always  wished  to  imitate  it,  to 
see  if  she  could  surpass  it.  I  have  heard  her  talk  on 
this  subject  three  or  four  times.  Those  who  have  seen 
all  the  things  that  I  have  will  feel  the  same  delight  of 
the  soul  that  I  do,  for  what  I  say  is  true  and  I  have 
seen  it  myself. 

This,  then,  was  the  Court  of  our  Queen.  How  un- 
fortunate was  the  day  she  died!  I  have  heard  it  re- 
lated that  our  present  King  [Henry  IV],  some  eighteen 


CATHERINE  DE  MEDICI  363 

months  after  he  saw  his  prospects  brightening  to  be- 
come King,  one  day  began  to  talk  over  with  the  late 
Marshal  de  Biron  the  designs  and  projects  which  he 
would  set  on  foot  to  make  his  Court  well  established, 
elegant,  and  closely  similar  to  that  which  our  Queen 
maintained ;  for  it  was  then  in  the  heyday  of  its  lustre 
and  splendour.  The  Marshal  replied :  "It  is  not  in  your 
power,  nor  in  that  of  any  King  who  is  to  succeed,  un- 
less you  make  a  compact  with  God  that  He  resuscitate 
the  Queen  Mother  and  bring  her  back  to  your  aid." 
But  that  was  not  what  the  King  desired,  for  there 
was  no  one,  at  the  time  she  died,  whom  he  hated  so 
much,  and  without  reason  that  I  could  see.  But  he 
ought  to  know  better  than  I. 

How  unlucky  indeed  was  the  day  when  such  a  Queen 
died,  and  at  the  time  when  we  had  the  greatest  need  of 
her,  as  we  still  have! 

She  died  at  Blois  from  melancholy  over  the  mas- 
sacre which  occurred  there,  and  the  sad  tragedy  which 
was  enacted,  seeing  that  unthinkingly  she  had  caused 
the  princes  to  come  there,  thinking  to  do  the  right 
thing ;  whereas,  on  the  contrary,  as  the  Cardinal  de 
Bourbon  said  to  her :  "Alas,  Madame !  you  have  led  us 
all  to  the  slaughter,  without  intending  it."  That  so 
touched  her  heart,  and  also  the  death  of  these  poor 
gentlemen,  that  she  took  to  her  bed,  having  been  pre- 
viously ill,  and  never  again  rose  from  it. 

They  say  that  when  the  King  told  her  of  M.  de 
Guise's  death,  saying  that  now  he  was  King  indeed, 
without  rival  or  master,  she  asked  him  if  he  had  put 
the  affairs  of  his  kingdom  in  order  before  striking 
the  blow.  He  replied  that  he  had.  "God  grant  it, 
my  son!"  said  she.  Very  prudent  that  she  was,  she 
foresaw  clearly  what  might  happen  to  him  and  to  all 
the  kingdom. 

Various  reports   have   gone   about  concerning  her 


364  CATHERINE   DE   MEDICI 

death,  some  even  saying  that  it  was  from  poison. 
Possibly  so,  possibly  not;  but  she  is  believed  to  have 
died  of  despair  of  soul,  as  she  had  reason  for.  She 
was  placed  upon  her  bed  of  state,  as  I  have  heard 
said,  by  one  of  her  ladies,  in  pomp  neither  more  nor 
less  than  Queen  Anne,  of  whom  I  have  spoken  else- 
where, and  clad  in  the  same  royal  vesture,  which  has 
not  served  since  her  death  for  any  others;  and  was 
then  carried  into  the  church  of  the  castle,  in  the  same 
pomp  and  solemnity  as  at  the  funeral  of  Queen  Anne, 
where  she  still  lies  and  reposes.  The  King  had  wished 
to  carry  her  body  to  Chartres,  and  thence  to  Saint 
Denis,  to  place  it  by  the  side  of  the  King  her  husband, 
in  the  same  imposing  vault  which  he  had  caused  to  be 
built,  but  the  ensuing  war  prevented  him. 

This  is  what  I  can  say  at  this  time  of  our  great 
Queen,  who  has  assuredly  given  us  so  worthy  a  subject 
to  speak  in  praise  of  her,  that  this  brief  essay  is  not 
long  enough  to  sing  her  praises.  I  know  it  well,  and 
also  that  the  quality  of  my  mind  does  not  suffice, 
since  better  speakers  than  I  would  still  be  inadequate. 
However,  such  as  it  is,  I  lay  this  discourse  in  all 
humility  and  devotion  at  her  feet.  And  also  I  wish  to 
avoid  too  great  prolixity,  for  which  indeed  I  feel  my- 
self liable.  But  I  earnestly  hope  that  in  my  discourse 
I  shall  not  defraud  her  of  much,  although  I  am  silent 
on  many  things,  speaking  only  of  essential  matters 
and  those  which  her  beautiful  and  unequalled  virtues 
demand  of  me ;  giving  me  ample  material  since  I  have 
seen  all  that  I  write  concerning  her ;  while  as  for  that 
which  took  place  before  my  day,  I  received  it  from 
very  illustrious  persons. 

This  queen  the  mother  of  so  many  kings, 
And  queens  as  well,  within  our  realm  of  France, 

Died  when  we  needed  her  in  many  things. 
For  none  save  she  could  give  us  such  assistance. 


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